Sixteen years to the day – in a blowout resembling Boston’s 131-92 destruction of Los Angeles in 2008 – the Celtics gained their 18th championship outright on the power of a balanced scoring effort in a dominant first half. The Celtics began brilliantly from behind the arc (12-for-23) and made a concerted – and connected- effort to win the rebounding match-up (51-to-35) to craft an insurmountable cushion. Kevin Garnett’s “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!” declaration was powerfully changed by Jayson Tatum’s “WE DID IT!” exclamation. If there have been particular person sport awards to be handed out tonight, Defensive Participant of the Sport would have been cut up between two-time champion Jrue Vacation and first-time champion Derrick White.
Finals MVP Jaylen Brown (21 factors, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Tatum (31 factors, 11 assists, and eight rebounds) once more obtained star turns from Vacation (15 factors and 11 rebounds) and White (14 factors and seven rebounds). Veteran Al Horford, a first-time titleist, chipped in 9 factors and 9 rebounds. The 5 Celtics starters put their definitive stamp on a 28-18 first quarter whipping and 66-47 first half decimation with stifling protection.
Derrick Jones, Jr (10 factors) unexpectedly led Dallas in first-half scoring, whereas Doncic (28 factors and 12 rebounds) continued to be a defensive turnstile because the champions sought him out time and time once more. Josh Inexperienced (14 factors) mixed with Jones, Jr. to produce firepower within the first half, however Kyrie Irving (16 factors and 5 assists) carried out suboptimally when it most mattered. The three bigs (PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Energetic) had been restricted to 12 factors and 13 rebounds mixed.
In a tricky opening handful of minutes, Dallas put up a mere two factors. Vacation and White registered a number of scores apiece earlier than the Huge Jay’s weighed in. Inexperienced salvaged a doubtlessly disastrous first quarter with a pair of straightaway threes that shaved the Boston deficit. A ending flourish by Brown, Tatum, and Sam Hauser made it 28-18 Celtics after one.
Jones, Jr. and Irving received Dallas going to start out the second interval, whereas Boston continued to have its approach on the different finish. A pair of threes from Irving and Jones, Jr. trimmed the Celtics’ benefit to 11 briefly, however Tatum’s primarily back-to-back lay-ups deflated the Mavericks’ balloon. After Boston’s lead dropped to 9, they closed out the half on an 19-7 run with Brown, White, and Tatum doing the injury. Payton Pritchard’s halfcourt heave put the Mavericks in a 21-point gap to finish a brutal half.
Popping out of the half, the Celtics weren’t having any of Doncic’s shotmaking, and ran roughshod by the porous Dallas protection to run their lead out to 26. On consecutive events, Vacation and White snagged offensive rebounds from a number of unsuspecting Mavericks to increase possessions. Inexperienced’s fifth straight bucket (4-for-4 from three) made it 59-78. Late within the body, White tracked down a free offensive rebound from a statuesque Doncic. Hauser’s runner ended an extended drought and kickstarted one other end-of-quarter push to get Boston to 86-67 after three.
Observations
Jones, Jr. is listed as a high 10 free agent by ESPN’s Bobby Marks with the proposed deal being‘two years, $44 million with a crew possibility within the final 12 months.’ <insert ‘too wealthy’ remark right here>
Horford’s heroes? Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and “how a lot they cared about profitable.”
Boston Sequence of the Sport #1: After Vacation blocked an Irving shot early within the first, White corralled the free ball and fed him on the different finish for a bucket. Vacation scored Boston’s first six factors.
Boston Sequence of the Sport #2: The 6’4” White blocked the 7’0” Energetic on the rim in the beginning of the fourth interval. #DefendItLikeDerrick
With the sport now not doubtful, however Brown and Doncic slipped in succession proper after the opposite, and tumbled to the court docket unnecessarily and unsafely.
Maxi Kleber didn’t hit any threes and handed up a 1-foot layup when the crew wanted factors past badly within the second half.
Not solely did Brown earn the MVP, however he additionally had the very best rely and most spectacular dunk rely within the collection.
From the tip, Vacation (lefty/righty layups) and White (steal) asserted themselves, whereas Dallas noticed shot after shot fail to go in. After three minutes, Doncic did discover Jones, Jr for a uncommon profitable lob. Vacation (6) outscored the Mavericks because the cold-shooting guests stayed glued to 2 factors for practically 5 minutes. Brown’s runner put the Celtics up eight. Inexperienced discovered some success with Kristaps Porzingis switched onto him, and Doncic’s jumper introduced them to inside one, which was the closest that Dallas would get all evening.
In the beginning of the second interval, Hauser’s second three nudged the Celtics’ lead out additional. After Porzingis defended a Doncic jumper nicely, he was hacked on the different finish by Washington – then calmly hit a jumper over Irving. When the Mavericks went small, Gafford’s two buckets spearheaded an 8-2 run. White was ridden into the court docket by Energetic on a 50/50 ball late within the half, and left the collision with chipped enamel. After hopping proper up unfazed, his 3-ball later put Dallas down 18, and Tatum’s stepback over a helpless Doncic was one way or the other outmatched by Pritchard’s 49-foot buzzer beater (additionally over Doncic) to finish the half.
Initially of the third, Doncic’s foul-line jumper portended a comeback, however White’s stepback three and Al Horford’s nook three pushed their lead out to 25. Inexperienced continued prolific capturing to maintain his crew afloat, and Doncic’s awkward floater introduced the Mavericks inside 18. Regardless of lacking eight straight makes an attempt, Boston maintained a snug benefit and went into the clinching quarter up 86-67.
Simply as they did within the first interval, Dallas struggled to place up any factors after three minutes of fourth quarter motion till Doncic’s three…. which was shortly matched by White’s wing three. Sadly for the Mavericks they had been solely in a position to commerce baskets with the ultra-confident Celtics the remainder of the way in which. Tatum’s back-to-back buckets began the official coronation of the ‘latest’ winningest franchise in NBA Finals historical past.
Onto the NBA draft (in solely 8.5 days!), Pounders! It’s been, and at all times can be, an honor to serve Pounding the Rock within the ‘23-24 season and past excited for the subsequent season!
