The Boston Celtics are now the winningest franchise in NBA history, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 to win their 18th NBA Championship, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Celtics blew the doors off the Mavericks for much of the series and continued that trend Monday night, shaking off a surprising blowout in Game 4 to close things out on home court.
Jayson Tatum had 31 and Jaylen Brown added 21 as the Celtics led in lopsided fashion for much of the night. Boston took a 21-point lead into halftime, capped off by a halfcourt buzzer-beater from Payton Pritchard, his second successful heave to close out a quarter of the series.
Brown was later named NBA Finals MVP.
The victory wrapped up one of the more dominant NBA seasons of the modern era with Boston winning a league-best 64 games during the regular season and defeating all four playoff opponents in five games or fewer.
Boston easily took the first two games of the Finals on home court and took a commanding 3-0 lead once things shifted to Dallas in Game 3. However, Game 4 was a totally different story as the Mavs handed the Celtics their worst loss of the season, 122-84. But Monday’s effort proved that was an aberration.
“I think we are ready for Game 5. I think that’s the best answer that I’ve got. I think that we’re ready. We’re at home. And we’re looking forward to it,” Brown said over the weekend.
Indeed they were ready, and now they get to host the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time since 2008, 16 years later to the exact day.