Jayson Tatum, Celtics defeat Mavericks to win record 18th NBA championship
Al Jazeera
The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the NBA Finals to win their first championship since 2008.
Jayson Tatum recorded 31 points and 11 assists as the Boston Celtics locked up their league-record 18th championship with a 106-88 blowout of the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Tatum also had eight rebounds while Jaylen Brown added 21 points, eight boards and six assists for Boston, which celebrated the 16th anniversary of its most recent title by completing a 16-3 playoff run.
The Celtics knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 Finals, and those two teams shared the league record with 17 championships apiece before Monday’s result.
Jrue Holiday had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Derrick White chipped in 14 points as Boston wrapped up the best-of-seven series on its second opportunity.
Brown was selected as the Finals MVP (most valuable player) after averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists.
