The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night to claim a record 18th NBA title, one more than their old rivals the Los Angeles Lakers.
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What many had expected to be a hard-fought series ended up as a relative stroll, which the Celtics wrapped up with victory on their home court – they led by 21 points at halftime. The series as a whole, which the Celtics won 4-1, was never seriously in doubt, even when the Mavericks won Game 4 in a 38-point blowout last Friday. The same could be said for the Celtics’ entire playoff campaign, during which they dropped only three games.
“Oh my God, it a surreal feeling,” said Celtics forward Jayson Tatum as he took in his team’s success. “We did it. Oh my God, we did it. I’m lost for words, sorry.”
The title ends a series of near misses for the Celtics. As well as their defeat in the NBA finals two years ago, they had lost in the conference finals in four of the last eight seasons.
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