.webp)
It's rare in sports to see a long-term plan truly come to fruition.
Players get injured, relationships are strained by egos, and sometimes, the shots just don't fall.
For years, the Boston Celtics have been burdened with the label of "next up." Despite the immense talents of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who have faced championship expectations for most of their careers, the stars never seemed to align for a title.
Following a loss to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 Finals and a disappointing2022 Finals and a disappointing defeat by the Miami Heat in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, the pressure was on.
Now, after a decisive 106-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the Celtics have finally completed their journey to the top. For an NBA record 18th time, the Boston Celtics are world champions.
.webp)
Afterwards, an elated and relieved Tatum described the last seven years as a roller coaster.
“To be able to say we did it, that we came together, and we won a championship. Banner number 18 has been hanging over our head for so many years. We won a championship,” he said.
The Celtics had a chance Friday to close things out in a sweep in Game 4 in Dallas after taking a 3-0 series lead, but bad shooting, worse rebounding and stellar performances from Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Mavs supporting cast sent the series back to Causeway Street.
But Monday night, 16 years to the day that the Celtics took down the Los Angeles Lakers to win their last championship in 2008, the Celtics took care of business.
Coming out of the gate, Boston was crisp on offense and stingy on defense. Tatum finished the first half with a near double-double. The Celtics held both Doncic and Irving to under 10 points and Payton Pritchard hit a walk off half-court three-pointer to send TD Garden to a frenzy as the Celtics led 67-46.
It was about as good of a start as you could ask for.
Dallas made it at least a little interesting after the break, but Boston’s big lead and hustle on the floor were too much to overcome.
.webp)
Instead of waiting for victory, the Celtics aggressively pursued rebounds and relentlessly defended against Dallas in the second half. Their persistence paid off with Boston’s most significant win in nearly two decades.
The fans erupted in collective joy when the final buzzer sounded, aware of the historic significance of raising an 18th banner.
Sisters Michaela and Alyssa Alperen, along with their mother, Lisa, from Peabody, were "ecstatic" after the game. "We’re gonna celebrate with the parade, and then someone’s getting a Banner 18 tattoo," Michaela said, nodding toward her mother.
Tatum finished with 31 points and 11 assists, while Brown earned MVP honors, a recognition he shared with his teammates. After 17 seasons, Al Horford finally secured his first championship, recalling a 2016 meeting when former team exec and Celtics legend Danny Ainge told him, “There’s nothing like winning in Boston.”
“And the fact that it has come, it has happened, JT, JB stepping up in a big way and leading us, it’s special,” Horford said.
When the Celtics lost to Golden State in 2022, it was clear they lacked not talent but experience. This time, they flipped the script, demonstrating to a less experienced Dallas squad why they were the NBA’s best team this season and showing they had learned from past lessons.
Now, after having nearly every title except the most important one before Monday night, these Celtics have etched their place in history alongside the franchise’s greats. Boston can finally cash a check it’s been trying to deposit for a long, long time.
.webp)
0 Comments:
Post a Comment