Celtics secure their 18th NBA championship with a 106-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5

Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, dished out 11 assists, and grabbed eight rebounds as the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-88, clinching the franchise's 18th championship and breaking their tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most titles in league history.

As he walked to the bench, Jayson Tatum wrapped both arms around Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. The journey was complete. The Boston Celtics once again stand alone among NBA champions.

Tatum recorded 31 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds as the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night to win the franchise’s 18th championship, surpassing the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in league history. Read More......

Boston secured its latest title on the 16th anniversary of their last championship in 2008. This marks the 13th championship won by one of the city’s Big 4 professional sports franchises this century.

“It means the world," Tatum said on stage after receiving the trophy from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. "It’s been a long time. And damn, I’m grateful.”

Jaylen Brown added 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, and was named the NBA Finals MVP.

“I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime Jayson Tatum," Brown said after the 107th career playoff game he and Tatum have played together — the most for any duo before winning a title. Read More........

Jrue Holiday contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds. Center Kristaps Porzingis provided an emotional lift, returning from a two-game absence due to a dislocated tendon in his left ankle to chip in five points in 17 minutes.

They helped the Celtics cap a postseason that saw them go 16-3 and finish with an 80-21 overall record. That .792 winning percentage ranks second in team history behind only the 1985-86 championship team that finished 82-18 (.820).

In his second season, at age 35, Mazzulla became the youngest coach since Bill Russell in 1969 to lead a team to a championship.

“You have very few chances in life to be great,” Mazzulla said.

Luka Doncic finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas, which failed to extend the series after avoiding a sweep with a 38-point win in Game 4. The Mavericks had been 3-0 in Game 5s this postseason, with Doncic scoring at least 31 points in each of them. He stated that the chest, right knee, and left ankle injuries he played through during the finals weren't an excuse for Dallas's struggles throughout the series.

“It doesn’t matter if I was hurt, how much I was hurt. I was out there,” he said. “I tried to play, but I didn’t do enough.”

Kyrie Irving finished with just 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting and has lost 13 of the last 14 meetings against the Celtics team he left in the summer of 2019 to join the Brooklyn Nets.

Irving sees a positive future for the Mavericks.

“I see an opportunity for us to really build our future in a positive manner, where this is almost like a regular thing for us and we’re competing for championships,” he said.

NBA teams are now 0-157 in postseason series after falling into a 3-0 deficit.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd believes Doncic and his team will grow from this NBA Finals experience.