**Boston, MA** – The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 to win the 18th NBA championship for the storied franchise. With the win, the Celtics surpass the Lakers for the most championships by an NBA franchise.
Boston dominated the NBA regular season with a 64-18 record and continued their success in the finals by defeating the Mavericks 4 games to 1. The Celtics finished the playoffs with a record of 16-3 and went 8-1 between the conference finals and the finals.
Celtics big man Al Horford won his first NBA Championship in his 17-year career. As for the Mavericks, they managed to dominate Boston in game four in Dallas, 122-84, where the Celtics seemed to settle for a chance to win at home.
The tables were turned in game five, as Boston held Luka Doncic to 29 points and his Mavericks co-star Kyrie Irving to 15 points. The Celtics shot 33% from deep and made 13 three-pointers.
Tatum led the Celtics with 29 points in game five, with Brown scoring 21. Tatum also had 11 assists in the game. A key to the Celtics’ offense was Jrue Holiday, who kept the ball moving, made key rebounds, and distributed the ball to keep the Mavericks off balance.
Holiday was one of the key players brought in by Boston General Manager Brad Stevens. Stevens also managed to bring in sharp-shooting big man Kristaps Porzingis. Holiday’s stellar defense and Porzingis’ shot-blocking ability forced opposing defenses to make adjustments inside.
Jaylen Brown was named MVP of the NBA Finals after being a solid piece of the team. Brown thanked his teammates, especially his “partner in crime” Tatum. Tatum and Brown have played in 107 playoff games before winning a title, the most games ever before a title win.
“It’s been a long time coming, but it was worth it,” said Tatum.
