Jayson Tatum had 31 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds as the Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night to win the NBA championship in five games, per the AP. Related stats about the 106-88 romp:
- It's the franchise's 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in league history. "Those fan bases can argue among themselves, but Boston has a case in this best-team-ever debate—if we're going by pure numbers," per the Athletic.
- Boston went 16-3 in the postseason to finish with an 80-21 overall record. That .792 winning percentage ranks second in team history behind only the Celtics' 1985-86 championship team that finished 82-18 (.820).
- The win ends a 16-year drought title for the Celtics. What's more, this particular team "will return more or less intact to make another run at it next season, with a chance to cement their place as one of the great teams of the modern era," per ESPN.
- Dallas fell behind 3-0 in the best-of-seven series and had little chance of a comeback: NBA teams are now 0-157 in postseason series after falling into a 3-0 deficit.
- This is the 13th championship won this century by one of the city's Big 4 professional sports franchises—the Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox, and Patriots.
More details on Monday's game
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