Boston Celtics crush Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 to claim record 18th NBA title

The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Monday, winning the series 4-1 and claiming the league-record 18th championship in franchise history.

Jaylen Brown was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) after averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists per game in the series. He received the trophy named after Bill Russell, who won 11 titles and is widely considered the greatest Celtic of all-time.

Jayson Tatum averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game in the series. His best performance came in the decisive Game 5 after contributing 31 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists. He played all of his 45 minutes on the court with a clear head, and delivered nine assists without committing any turnovers in the first half. And when Boston needed him to step up and score, he contributed 12 and 11 points in the second and fourth quarters, respectively.

In his seventh NBA campaign, Tatum had lost three Eastern Conference Finals and one NBA Finals before this season. A five-time All-Star forward and three-time All-NBA First Team selection, he often came under criticism for not leading his team to the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Now, he has finally offered a definitive response to those complaints.

Standing next to Tatum and Brown were a pair of elite backcourt defenders in Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, 38-year-old veteran big man Al Horford, this season's new arrival Kristaps Porzingis and head coach Joe Mazzulla, along with everyone else who contributed to ending the team's 16-year NBA championship drought.

The Celtics were nothing but dominant in this series against Dallas. They led by more than 20 points at least once in each of the four games they won, thanks to their sharp five-out offense, attacks off the dribble by multiple players and tenacious defense that utilized frequent switches.

By contrast, the Mavericks saw all of their shortcomings exposed by the Celtics in the series. Their aces Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both became defensive liabilities; their flawed spacing encouraged the opposing team to close in and shut them down in the paint; their role players' poor performances in running the offense left coach Jason Kidd with no other choice but to overload Doncic and Irving.

Of course, some pundits will argue there's no need to be too harsh on a team that only settled on a steady roster four months ago, but as the Mavericks' leaders, both Doncic and Irving will face most of the blame. Irving was totally lost in the boos at TD Garden, failing to reach 20 points in any of the three games he played at the arena. Doncic's whining to referees, slow defensive movement and even worse defensive attitude made him no less disappointing.

Dallas will have four months to analyze their problems, improve their lineup and create better chemistry during the offseason. That's also when Doncic needs to learn how to grow up.

Meanwhile, the championship trophy is back in Boston, with high expectations for the young and talented squad to win more titles in the future, and keep building on the franchise's record-setting legacy.