Final victory against Dallas

Champions! Celtics crown outstanding NBA season

Jayson Tatum lifts the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

(Bild: AFP/APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Adam Glanzman)

The two stars of the Boston Celtics have finally delivered. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown reacted emotionally when the 18th NBA title was a certainty after a 106:88 win against the Dallas Mavericks. As a result, Boston is once again the sole basketball record holder and Brown was also named the best player of the finals series on Monday. "I share this with my colleagues and my brother Jayson Tatum, who has gone this way with me," said Brown on US television.

For the Celtics, 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. We're a resilient group, we've been through a lot over the years." Brown finished with 21 points, while Tatum just missed a triple double with 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

Tatum and Brown played 107 play-off games together for the Celtics, more than any other duo in NBA history before winning their first title, according to the US media. Three days after the defeat in Dallas, the two led their team to the necessary fourth victory at the TD Garden. The Mavericks had won by a 38-point margin in Dallas on Friday, raising the fans' hopes of a sensation - after three defeats in the first three games, no NBA team had yet managed a successful comeback.

Nothing to take for the Mavs
However, the Celtics made it clear from the outset in front of their own loud fans that they would not allow themselves a second slip-up. In the final two minutes of the first quarter, Boston produced a 12:3 run to thrill the crowd and the lead was 21 points at half-time. The Celtics were able to maintain their lead in the second half because the Mavericks never really posed a threat.

Although superstar Luka Doncic ended up with a solid 28 points, he was just as disappointing over long stretches of the encounter as Kyrie Irving, who only scored 15 points. Nevertheless, Doncic, who has been physically battered, had an outstanding week overall in the playoffs. With 635 points, 208 rebounds and 178 assists, he was the best in each category - something only Nikola Jokic had previously achieved last season.

"Boston simply played well, scored a lot from outside. We conceded too many easy threes. Boston was clearly the better team, so congratulations," said the German Mavs pro Maxi Kleber. "In a few days, we can look back and say that we can be proud of ourselves. We started the play-offs in fifth place."

"Keep your head up"
Dirk Nowitzki, who was successful with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, is still the only German to have won an NBA championship. "Cheer up. We'll be back," he wrote in a post on the short message service X. US President Joe Biden also congratulated him on the title on the platform.

Result of the NBA final ("best of seven"): 
Boston Celtics - Dallas Mavericks 106:88. Final score in the series: 4:1 - Boston thus NBA champions for the 18th time