The Boston Celtics successfully emerged as NBA champions for the 2023-2024 season after beating the Dallas Mavericks in the fifth game of the final with a score of 106-88. Competing at TD Garden, Boston, United States, on Tuesday (18/6/2024), the Celtics already had the capital to win 3-1 over the Mavericks from the previous four games.
This NBA title is the 18th for the Celtics after waiting 16 years since the last championship in 2008. The Celtics dominated the match from the first quarter with a score of 28-18, then they took the lead in the second quarter and extended the score to 67-46.
The Mavericks managed to match the Celtics’ game in the third quarter. Luka Doncic et al managed to score more points, but were unable to overcome the opponent’s lead at 86-67. Both teams played closely in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks scored 21 points, while the Celtics had 20 points. However, with the difference in score, the Celtics managed to maintain their lead until the end of the match with a 106-88 win.
Based on the five games that have passed, the Celtics have won four times while holding the Mavericks’ score from reaching 100. The Celtics started their victory from the first game with a 107-89 lead on Friday (7/6/2024). Likewise, in the second game which took place on Monday (10/6/2024), the Mavericks almost equalized the aggregate score when the Celtics won 105-98.
The Mavericks still lost in the third game final on Thursday (13/6/2024), this time each team scored one point more than the previous game, namely 106-99. In the fourth game, the Mavericks managed to open up their hopes with a fairly long winning score, namely 122-84. However, the Celtics “didn’t want to play any more” so they finished the fifth final game with a 106-88 win.
Jaylen Brown MVP
Jaylen Brown was named the 2024 finals MVP after scoring 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in the fifth final game. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic was the top scorer for the Mavericks with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists.
While Brown is certainly a deserving Finals MVP, the result was a bit surprising in the eyes of NBA fans. After it was announced Brown was the MVP, fans took to social media to express their shock while others said it was the right decision. Some fans might believe that Tatum should have been the MVP over Brown, but the two likely don’t care now that they are NBA champions.