It has appeared like an inevitability nearly all post-season, and on Monday night it finally came true/as the Boston Celtics became NBA Champions once again.
Game 4 in Dallas appeared to be a very, very small blip on the radar, as the Celtics crushed the Mavericks in Boston to close out the series.
In all, the Celtics ended up winning 16 of 19 games during the playoffs to capture their first title in 16 years.
Just about everyone on the team contributed in Game 5. The highlight came from bench player Payton Pritchard, who was put into the game specifically to shoot a halfcourt shot right before halftime, which he magically sunk.
The game was already somewhat out of hand before then, but Pritchard really put a stamp on the team’s impressive performance to that point.
Jayson Tatum was the leading scorer and filled up the stat sheet. He finished with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists. Given the criticism he has endured, this was no doubt an extremely satisfying game for him. And he got some help from his teammates, too.
“We’ve responded all year and this was no different,” said Celtics forward Jayson Tatum after the game, when asked how the Game 4 blowout affected Monday night’s performance. “We owed our fans, it been a long journey. It’s been a long journey.”
Jaylen Brown was his usual efficient self. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White did a little bit of everything. And Al Horford finally won his first NBA title at the age of 38.
It’s a night that will not be forgotten by Boston fans for a very long time.
