BOSTON -- Let the celebration begin. At last, Banner 18 is coming to TD Garden.
The Celtics finished one of the most dominant seasons in franchise history with a wire-to-wire Game 5 win over the Dallas Mavericks in front of their rowdy home crowd. They cruised to a 106-88 victory to seal their 18th championship, breaking their tie atop the league with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Boston celebrates its 18th title exactly 16 years after its last championship on June 17, 2008. Coincidentally, the '08 C's also followed a lopsided road loss with a blowout series-clinching victory at home.
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With Monday night's win, the Celtics matched the best postseason winning percentage in franchise history (1986) by winning 84.2 percent of its games (16-3).
Jayson Tatum dropped a game-high 31 points in the victory. Jaylen Brown chipped in 21 to wrap up his sensational playoff run with the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving had 28 and 15 points respectively in Dallas' defeat.
Here are three takeaways from the Celtics' championship-clinching win as the celebrations begin on Causeway St.
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Jayson Tatum silences the naysayers
Earlier this month, Tatum opened up about being "the most scrutinized player" in the playoffs. On Monday night, he quieted the critics with an undeniable performance.
Tatum helped widen the C's lead in the first half with 16 points and nine assists. The last Celtic to notch 10+ points and 9+ assists in the first half of a playoff game was Paul Pierce in Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals exactly 16 years ago. The only other player to have 16+ points and 9+ assists in the first half of a Finals game in the play-by-play era? LeBron James.
Tatum kept it rolling in the second half to finish with 31 points (11-24 FG), 11 assists, and eight rebounds. The 26-year-old superstar is the first Celtics player to have 20 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds in a Finals game since 1986. He is the first C's player ever with at least 30 points and 10 assists in a Finals game, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.
There is an argument to be made that Tatum deserved the NBA Finals MVP award. In addition to his scoring, he was a game-changer with his elite playmaking. He won't have the hardware to show for it, but he played like an MVP in this series and made a statement in the finale.
A total team effort
While Tatum was the star, the Celtics got contributions from everyone who stepped on the floor in Monday's series-clincher.
Game 5 started with veterans Jrue Holiday and Al Horford combining for the Celtics' first nine points to open the contest on a 9-2 run. While Holiday and Horford led the C's offense, Tatum and Brown started 1-for-9 from the floor.
Five minutes into the first quarter, Kristaps Porzingis took the court to a thunderous ovation for the first time since sustaining a leg injury in Game 2. He was exposed at times defensively, but the big man eventually found his footing and pitched in five points (2-4 FG) with a rebound in 16 minutes.
The Finals MVP wrapped up his stellar postseason with 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Derrick White notched 14 points and eight rebounds while showing off his All-Defensive talent with two steals and a block.
Sam Hauser played 17 exceptional minutes off the bench, tallying eight points (3-7 FG), four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Holiday ended up with 15 points (7-14 FG), 11 boards, and four assists. The 38-year-old Horford had nine points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 32 minutes.
Every active Celtic had their moment to perfectly cap off one of the greatest seasons in franchise history. And no, we didn't forget about Payton Pritchard...
Payton Pritchard gives C's fans an all-time moment
Pritchard electrified the Garden crowd with a half-court buzzer-beater in Game 2. C's coach Joe Mazzulla later called it "the play of the game."
Fans hoped for an encore when Mazzulla put Pritchard in Game 5 with four seconds left in the first half, and they got their wish.
Pritchard did it again with an even deeper half-court buzzer-beater that sent the raucous crowd into a frenzy.
Pritchard shot just 3-for-16 for the series, but his two half-court makes will live forever in Celtics lore. The Game 2 shot was a momentum changer, and Game 5's will be embedded into the memories of those who watched Boston end its 16-year championship drought.