Behind 31 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists from Jayson Tatum and 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists from Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, the Boston Celtics blew out the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 to win the 2024 NBA Finals, winning a record-setting 18th NBA title on the 16th anniversary of the day they won their 17th championship in this same building.
In doing so, the Celtics passed their forever rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, for the most titles in NBA history.
“I mean, this is going to be a night that I will remember for the rest of my life, from the game, the celebration, these moments,” Tatum said. “Over the last couple years, we had some tough losses at home in the playoffs. We’ve lost the NBA championship at home in front of our fans. We had a chance to beat Miami in Game 6 a few years ago and lost that one.
“So to have a big win — the biggest win that you could have in front of your home crowd — I felt like that was really important to go out there and do everything in my power to make sure we won this game tonight.”
Boston, after playing its worst game of the season Friday night in its first chance to close this series out, responded with a wire-to-wire victory Monday. Big performances from Tatum and Brown allowed Boston to put the game away early — much like it did in 2008, when the Celtics routed the Lakers in Game 6 at TD Garden to win what had been their most recent championship.
The Celtics built a 21-point lead at halftime, with a second Payton Pritchard half-court heave of the series emphatically sending them into the break with a comfortable cushion — and sending the sellout crowd at TD Garden into a frenzy.
The crowd had been in a fervent state since before the game even began, but particularly when Kristaps Porzingis — who had missed Games 3 and 4 with a left leg injury he suffered in Game 2 — checked into the game midway through the first quarter. Porzingis finished with just five points in 16 minutes but gave Boston some valuable minutes spelling Al Horford off the bench.
Kyrie Irving, meanwhile, continued to struggle in Boston, after admitting Sunday that he has had trouble playing against his former team at TD Garden. After going a combined 13-for-37 in Boston in Games 1 and 2, including 0-for-8 from 3, he finished with 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting in Game 5.
Brown earned his MVP award behind series averages of 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5 assists, while also consistently guarding Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
“I can’t even put into words the emotions,” Brown said. “It’s just I’m blessed and I’m grateful. This was a full team effort. We had a great team. My teammates were great. They allowed me to lead us on both ends of ball, and we just came out and performed on our home floor. It’s just amazing.
ESPN
