The Boston Celtics are officially the champions of the NBA world once again.
With last night’s 106-88 title-clinching thrashing of the Dallas Mavericks, the Celtics again zoomed past the Los Angeles Lakers and now stand alone with a record-setting 18th NBA title.
Adding a special touch to last night’s victory was the fact that it came on the 16th anniversary of the Big 3’s clincher against the Lakers back in 2008.
Boston capped off a dominant 16-3 postseason.
Only the 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors (16-1) finished with a better mark since the league expanded to four best-of-seven playoff rounds back in 2003.
For the Celtics’ core, this title was a long time coming.
Jaylen Brown rightfully won Finals MVP thanks to his dominant two-way play throughout the series. While he averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5 assists, it was his defense which was just as impressive.
“I can’t even put into words the emotions,” Brown said after the game.
“It’s just I’m blessed and I’m grateful. This was a full team effort. We had a great team. My teammates were great. They allowed me to lead us on both ends of ball, and we just came out and performed on our home floor. It’s just amazing.
“You know, (the MVP) could have gone to anybody. It could have gone to Jayson. Jayson, like I can’t talk enough about his selflessness. I can’t talk enough about his attitude.
“It’s just how he approached not just this series or the Finals but just the playoffs in general. And we did it together as a team, and that was the most important thing.”
Tatum struggled mightily with his shot throughout the series, but was still able to contribute with his rebounding, passing and defense.
“This is going to be a night that I will remember for the rest of my life, from the game, the celebration, these moments,” Tatum said after the clincher.
“Over the last couple years, we had some tough losses at home in the playoffs. We’ve lost the NBA championship at home in front of our fans. We had a chance to beat Miami in Game 6 a few years ago and lost that one.
“So, to have a big win – the biggest win that you could have in front of your home crowd – I felt like that was really important to go out there and do everything in my power to make sure we won this game tonight.”
“It means the world … It’s been a long time. And, damn, I’m grateful.”
Not everyone has been overly impressed by the Celtics’ dominant title run, however.
Philadelphia 76ers’ star Joel Embiid recently threw a big ole bucket of water on all of the Boston hype and hoopla.
Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Countdown prior to Game 4 in Dallas last Friday, Embiid admitted that he’s not the biggest fan of the Celtics.
“I can’t stand them. I hate Boston,” the seven-time All-Star said.
“Great city. Great fans. Obviously, they got some great players…but it hurts me a lot,” he said of the C’s success.
Having joined the Sixers in 2014, Embiid is well-acquainted with the intense rivalry between the two teams.
The Sixers and Celtics have met in the playoffs three times during Embiid’s tenure, with Philadelphia falling short in each series.
Watching Boston’s dominant run from the couch has been particularly frustrating for the 30-year-old, especially since he has suffered nothing but disappointment in his playoff career.
Against the Celtics alone, Embiid’s postseason record stands at a brutal 3-12.
Interesting, Embiid dismissed the notion that Boston could establish a super-team and dominate the NBA for years to come.
He stated that he doesn’t believe the Celtics could develop into a dynasty in part because of the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
“I don’t think so. Not with the new CBA,” Embiid said.
He also pointed out an obvious storyline that’s been hard to ignore. While it’s not their fault, Boston has been fortunate to have faced a relatively weak path to the title.
Besides having the luxury of avoiding the Denver Nuggets in the Finals, the Celtics were lucky that so many teams were dealing with key injuries in the postseason.
“You also gotta understand, the whole East was kinda hurt this year, myself included,” Embiid said. (In fairness, when exactly is Embiid NOT hurt?!?)
Unfortunately for Embiid and the Sixers, they just can’t seem to ever get over the hump.
While on the NBA Countdown set, Embiid hinted that he would love for Philadelphia to go after the man sitting next to him: Los Angeles Clippers’ star Paul George.
That’s a bit or an ironic suggestion by Embiid…
After all, Embiid and George’s careers have been extremely similar. Both are capable of big performances in the regular season, but both are often injured – especially during the most important stretches of the season – and both have been failures in the playoffs.
We’ll see what the 76ers end up doing this offseason, but the fact of the matter is the Boston Celtics are the NBA champions and the rest of the league will now be chasing them.
What are your thoughts on Boston’s title run?
Do you think it was a little flukey due to the weak path and all of the injuries? … Or would the Celtics have won the title no matter what? (Unfortunately, we were robbed of what would have been an epic Boston-Denver series.)
Do you agree with Embiid that the Celtics won’t develop into a dynasty? … Or do you think he’s just being bitter and jealous?
While the path will never be as easy as it was this year, Boston’s roster is absolutely stacked and the team figures to be even stronger next season.
General manager Brad Stevens (and former GM Danny Ainge) deserve a ton of credit for building such a loaded team. Hopefully next season we finally get that Celtics-Nuggets series that most people are dying to see.