Celtics Wrap: Boston Brings Home Banner 18 With Game 5 Win Over Mavs

BOSTON — The goal for the Boston Celtics was always to finish this season with a championship.

Mission accomplished.

The Celtics claimed an NBA title Monday night at TD Garden by beating down the Dallas Mavericks, 106-88, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

The Celtics won the best-of-seven series 4-1 and went an eye-popping 16-3 in the playoffs en route to the 18th championship in franchise history and their first since 2008.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics came back home after a Game 4 drubbing, and it was clear almost from the start that things would be different in Game 5.

The Celtics sensed the moment of being on the precipice of a title and put it all on the line. They dove for every loose ball and scrapped on both ends of the floor.

It was more than enough to get the job done as Boston also turned in a standout defensive performance to secure the title. The Celtics played stifling defense, pressing up on Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to neutralize the Mavericks star duo and make sure there was no way the series headed back to Dallas.

It seemed like nearly every player on the Celtics had their own singular moment in the clincher. Jrue Holiday got off to a steady start. Kristaps Porzingis made his presence known. Al Horford bullied his way to the basket. Sam Hauser knocked down a couple of 3-pointers. Jayson Tatum took over in the second and fourth quarters. Jaylen Brown’s all-around play was an igniter. And Payton Pritchard drilled an insane half-court shot at the end of the first half, well because, that’s just what he does.

It was a total team effort and with that came the reward of the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Tatum got off to a slow start, but turned it on the second quarter to help the Celtics pull away. Tatum scored 12 of his 31 points in the frame and dished out 11 assists for the double-double. He also added eight rebounds.

— Holiday’s championship pedigree shone through on the elevated stage. He finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and four assists to be a guiding force for Boston.

— Brown wasn’t at his best, but he did enough to help the Celtics get the victory. He scored 21 points to go along with eight rebounds and six assists. Brown also had a plus-20 rating — good for second-best on the team.

UP NEXT
The Celtics will enjoy a championship parade later in the week but will quickly have to turn their attention to next year, with the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft coming June 26.