The NBA Finals are over, and the Boston Celtics took the absolute glory of the 2023-2024 season, beating Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving’s Dallas Mavericks 4-1.
Joe Mazzulla’s team was designated as the great favorite to win the Larry O’Brien trophy due to the strength of their quintet. They did not disappoint, being leaders of the Eastern Conference, being far superior to their rivals in the Playoffs, and showing a great difference over a tough opponent like Dallas.
The TD Garden was the epicenter of the last game of the campaign, which had the Green Pride triumphing by 106-88, in a new display of their huge defensive role, while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were in charge of putting the ball inside the basket.
There is no doubt that the most consistent squad was the one that ended up getting the smile that all the other franchises are waiting for in June.
NBA Finals Results
Boston Celtics 107-89 Dallas Mavericks
Boston Celtics 105-98 Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks 99-106 Boston Celtics
Dallas Mavericks 122-84 Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics 106-88 Dallas Mavericks
Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks – NBA Finals Roundup
The Boston Celtics ended a 16-year drought without being NBA champions thanks to a great managerial job, as they brought in players such as Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who fit in and were decisive in becoming champions.
But to these tools must be added the two big stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who were the most outstanding in the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
For example, in Game 5, Boston won 106-88, with 31 points from Tatum, who added 11 rebounds and eight assists. For his part, Brown made 21 with eight boards and six assists. That was fundamental to overcoming the 28 units of Luka Doncic, who was once again alone due to the great defense over his teammates.
And it is precisely the defense that was an important point for the Celtics, who kept Dallas under 100 points in all their victories. The only setback came in their fourth game when they lost by a thrashing at the American Airlines Center.
Holiday was the defense commander, and Derrick White contributed his three-pointers and the occasional block since, in all the Playoffs, he averaged 1.2 blocks per game.
Porzingis, who had to battle injuries throughout the Playoffs, deserves a separate chapter. In the Finals he was fundamental in the first two games, opening the court to shoot three-pointers and being a great rim protector.
He was out for the third and fourth games, but in the fifth, he returned injured to provide the energy his presence generates in the always boisterous TD Garden, which celebrated its 18th pennant. There is no franchise with more titles than Boston.
After seven years with the Tatum-Brown process, the Celtics are champions, with a 64-18 regular season record, the best in the league, and only losing three times in the Playoffs.
Jaylen Brown MVP
At the beginning of the season, much criticism fell on Jaylen Brown, as he had signed the highest contract in NBA history. The Celtics committed to give him $304 million for five years.
The forward went from being overrated for many to being decisive in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning the Most Valuable Player title against the Indiana Pacers, and for good measure, he repeated in the Finals against the Mavs.
He finished with 20.8 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, and 5 assists, fundamental in the first three victories, as he was in charge of unclogging the offense.
Although Tatum finished with better numbers than Brown, the experts ended up giving Brown the honor of joining Cedric Maxwell, Larry Bird, and Paul Pierce as the MVP of a Finals in Celtics colors.
While he didn’t take home the MVP, Tatum continues to add to his career, in which he already has 4 All-NBA, 5 All-Stars, and the Most Valuable Player award in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. He is only 26 years old.
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