The Celtics, including stars like Jaylen Brown (M), are now celebrating their first championship since 2008. Photo: Charles Krupa/AP
Boston Celtics fans have been waiting for this moment for years: Title number 18 is perfect and the team is once again the NBA’s record champions. Dirk Nowitzki retains his special status.
Boston – When the record championship was no longer up for grabs, Jayson Tatum had tears in his eyes. At the awards ceremony, Jaylen Brown also put his hands over his face in disbelief. The two stars of the Boston Celtics reacted emotionally to the 18th NBA title and the superior 106:88 win against the Dallas Mavericks, who are still waiting for a second championship since the one with Dirk Nowitzki 13 years ago. “Great run,” wrote the basketball legend on X. “Chin up. We’ll be back.” He remains the only German with a championship in the strongest basketball league in the world.
For the Celtics, however, a grueling dry spell ended exactly 16 years to the day after their last title. “Oh my God. It’s a surreal feeling. We did it,” said Tatum. “It’s been a long journey. A long journey. We’re a resilient group, we’ve been through a lot in the past few years.”
Tatum and Brown played 107 playoff games together for the Celtics, more than any other duo in NBA history before winning their first title, according to US media reports. Three days after the defeat in Dallas, the two led their team to the fourth victory they needed at TD Garden, and Brown was subsequently named the most valuable player of the finals for the first time in his career. “That was a team success. I share that with my colleagues and my brother Jayson Tatum, who went down this path with me,” he said. Brown scored 21 points, while Tatum just missed a triple double with 31 points, 11 assists and 8 assists.
Hope for Mavericks comeback died
In Dallas, the Mavericks won by 38 points on Friday, keeping fans’ hopes alive of a sensational comeback after three losses at the start – no NBA team has ever managed that after three defeats in the first three games. But in front of their own loud fans, the Celtics made it clear from the start that they would not allow themselves a second slip-up. In the last two minutes of the first quarter, Boston caused excitement in the stands with a 12:3 run, and by halftime the lead was 21 points. In the second half, the Celtics were able to maintain their lead because the Mavericks never really posed a threat.
Doncic ended up with a solid 28 points, but was just as disappointing for much of the game as Irving, who only managed 15 points. Both of them only made one three-pointer in seven attempts until well into the final quarter, with three for Irving and two for Doncic. The physically ailing Slovenian nevertheless had an outstanding week in the playoffs. With 635 points, 208 rebounds and 178 assists, he was the best in every category – only Nikola Jokic had managed that before, last season.
Kleber: “Boston was clearly the better team”
Kleber finished the match with two points, three rebounds and one assist. He reacted to the defeat with disappointment but composure. “Boston simply played well, scored a lot from outside. We allowed too many easy threes. Boston was clearly the better team, so congratulations to Boston,” said the 32-year-old from Würzburg.
Despite all the disappointment, Kleber emphasized the positive aspects of the Mavericks’ season. “We’ve come a long way and we never gave up and always supported each other,” he said. “In a few days, we’ll be able to look back and say that we can be proud of ourselves. We started the playoffs in fifth place.”
2024-06-18 04:14:15
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