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Celtics win 2024 NBA Finals over Mavericks, clinch record-setting 18th NBA title
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston in a decisive, clinching performance at TD Garden.
At long last, Banner 18 will be raised to the rafters.
The Boston Celtics captured their first NBA championship since 2008 on Monday night, defeating the Dallas Mavericks, 106-88, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals — capping off a dominant run for a roster poised to reign atop the NBA for years to come.
Sixteen years to the day since the 2007-08 Celtics secured the franchise’s 17th championship on the parquet floor, the 2023-24 Celtics penned a similar ending on Causeway Street.
The 2023-24 Celtics were cut from a similar cloth as that 2008 club — both featuring rosters anchored by homegrown talent, and further elevated through several savvy offseason maneuvers by a Boston front-office hellbent on putting this franchise back on top.
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But unlike that 2008 team — which seized basketball immortality in its first year together — this Celtics core trudged through several heartbreaking missteps and stumbles on basketball’s highest stage before finally reaching the summit.
From an unexpected run cut short by LeBron James in 2018, to a 2022 Finals campaign snapped by Steph Curry, to an unprecedented 0-3 rally against the Heat extinguished in 2023, the path to a title hasn’t always been easy for Boston.
But as the confetti rained down on the parquet floor on Monday night amid a cacophony of cheers and other delirium, it was only fitting that Boston’s record-setting 18th title was sealed via a pair of dominant performances from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
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The two pillars of Boston’s latest era of dominance further cemented themselves as franchise legends in Game 5. Tatum led the way for Boston with 31 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, while Jaylen Brown added 21 points.
Jrue Holiday secured his second ring with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Derrick White added 14 points
Kristaps Porzingis, returning to the court on Monday after missing the last two games with an ankle injury, added five points over 16 minutes. Al Horford finally secured his first title, with the 38-year-old big man contributing nine points.
Boston’s march to a title hit a setback on Friday night, with the Celtics’ hopes of a dominant sweep of the Mavericks snapped off of a 38-point blowout loss in Game 4.
Despite that lopsided result, the Celtics remedied several of the woes that plagued them down at American Airlines Center. Boston sank 45.2% of its shots and routinely extended possessions by way of diving plays and scrappy second-chance baskets in the paint.
Boston separated itself from Dallas in the first half, with a Sam Hauser 3-pointer fueling a 9-0 run that capped the opening quarter — giving Boston a 28-18 lead after 12 minutes of play.
While Tatum did a majority of the heavy lifting in the second quarter, it was yet another buzzer-beating, halfcourt heave from Payton Pritchard that ended the first half, opening a 21-point cushion for Boston.
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Even with Boston’s offense stalling at several points in the second half, Dallas was unable to claw back from such a sizable deficit — with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic combining for 43 points on Monday.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, cheers of “Let’s Go Celtics” and “We Want Boston” echoed across the Celtics’ arena — a rallying cry of victory that will undoubtedly echo down Boylston Street in just a couple of days.
LIVE UPDATES
10:48: “We Want Boston” chants. Celtics fans can taste it.
10:43: Might be the night for Porzings. He gave Boston
10:38: MVP chants for Tatum as he goes to the line.
10:35: Boston and Dallas both have eight points a peice in the last eight minutes. Hence why the Mavs have been unable to cut into this deficit.
10:34: Brad Marchand in the building for Game 5.
10:24: End Third: Celtics hold an 86-67 lead. Boston is one quarter away from a title.
10:19: Celtics in a 1-for-10 lull right now. The lead is still 18, but Boston squander a chance to really blow this game open.
10:05: Celtics keep pouring it on. 26-point lead now for Boston.
9:57: The second half is underway.
9:45: Tatum at the half. 16 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal. Finals MVP back on?
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9:44: Oh my word, Payton Pritchard. He does it again with a last-second heave — and Boston leads, 67-46.
Boston is two quarters away from a title.
9:33: Tatum’s passing has been stellar tonight. His set-up on a Holiday layup gives him eight assists over 20 minutes.
9:33: Derrick White the latest Celtics player to dive on the floor. No question about the effort tonight.
9:30: Very curious to see how much rope Porzingis really gets here. He’s clearly not 100 percent.
9:25: Might be time to put a big back out there, Boston. Tatum gets some reps at center, and Dallas immediately scores three baskets in the paint.
9:23: This has to be an … interesting viewing for Grant Williams:
9:21: After missing their first three 3-pointers, Boston has hit 6 of 11 since. Boston leads, 46-31, with 6:56 to go in the half.
9:20: A championship pick from the Celtics here for their Hero Among Us for Game 5.
9:19: Meanwhile, at Sullivan’s Tap:
9:17: Look at that, Tatum is now heating up. He’s up to 12 points with 7:08 to go in the half.
9:13: Tatum with just four points so far, but he also has four rebounds and seven assists. Triple-double watch already.
9:08: Sam Hauser sinks another 3-pointer. He’s locked in early on.
9:05: The Celtics will take this, methinks.
9:04: END FIRST: Celtics lead, 28-18, after the first 12 minutes. Boston closes out the quarter on a 9-0 run.
9:03: Sam Hauser is one of the few players who had a strong Game 4. He’s carried that over with a 3-pointer. He fueled that 5-point swing by forcing a turnover after that trey ball.
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8:54: Mavs clearly targeting Porzingis and trying to get him to move. Exum hits back-to-back 3s over him. Porzingis moving gingerly.
16-13 Celtics with 3:56 to go in the first quarter.
8:52: Porzingis enters the game for Horford. Massive cheers quickly follow.
8:48: No subs for Boston after the timeout from Dallas. Porzingis on the bench.
8:45: Al Horford hits a 3-pointer and Dallas calls timeout. 9-2 Boston with 7:26 left in the first.
8:44: Some LOUD “Kyrie Sucks!” chants here.
8:40: After a brutal Game 4, Jrue Holiday has Boston’s first six points.
8:36: Game 5 is underway.
8:34: Kyrie Irving – still not a popular individual.
8:32: Another look at Porzingis’ reception:
8:24: Seven minutes into warmups, Kristaps Porzingis emerges and there’s a massive cheer.
8:14: The TD Garden crowd did not like this.
8:01: Starters for Boston: Holiday-White-Brown-Tatum-Horford.
Porzingis is coming off the bench.
8:00: A look at some of the celebrities in attendance for Game 5. Drake Maye is back at TD Garden.
7:58: Quite the photo here.
7:54: Jason Kidd still stresses that all the pressure is on the Celtics to close this game out tonight. No NBA team has ever won a playoff series after going down, 0-3.
7:53: A look at the special T-shirts available at TD Garden tonight.
7:50: Greetings from TD Garden. It’s a bit louder now.
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