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The Celtics celebrate their dominant win over the Mavericks after a 4-1 series victory in the NBA finals. Photograph: Charles Krupa/AP
A blizzard of confetti across the parquet floor at TD Garden; the words “Jaylen Brown finals MVP” no longer a punchline used to taunt the Massachusetts basketball faithful but solid, unarguable reality; the Larry O’Brien trophy in the hands of Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck; and Boston confirmed, with their 18th championship, as the most successful franchise in NBA history.
Were these the worst NBA finals – for neutrals, at least – in recent memory though? A 4-1 scoreline certainly suggests so, and the manner of the Mavericks’ capitulation on Monday night – gamely keeping pace for the first 10 minutes of the first quarter before Boston made the title all but secure by half-time – applied a weak punctuation mark to what had been a rousing Dallas effort in Game 4. In the end, Kyrie Irving failed to show up on the court that once sang his name, the Mavericks supporting cast reverted to mediocre type, and the velvet hands and magic buttocks (and dodgy knee, and injured chest) of Luka Dončić simply had nothing left to give against a Boston outfit that was too smooth, too strong, too powerful at both ends of the court. With this 18th title, after 16 Larry O’Brien-less years, the Celtics now move ahead of their historic rivals the Lakers in the NBA’s all-time championship tally.
Schedule
Best-of-seven series. All times US eastern time (EDT).
Thu 6 Jun Game 1: Celtics 107, Mavericks 89
Sun 9 Jun Game 2: Celtics 105, Mavericks 98
Wed 12 Jun Game 3: Celtics 106, Mavericks 99
Fri 14 Jun Game 4: Mavericks 122, Celtics 84
Mon 17 Jun Game 5: Celtics 106, Mavericks 88
This was a victory for process, systems, the patient rebuild, the steady climb – the ultimate victory of the collective over the individual, cooperation over glory-seeking, technocracy over virtuosity. Stepping up to the celebration dais for the post-game open mic session, virtually every Celtics player made a point of emphasizing the importance of teamwork, and it felt like more than a mere platitude. Brown said…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/boston-brilliant-technocrats-micromanaged-way-140740754.html
Author : The Guardian
Publish date : 2024-06-18 14:07:40
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