Celtics defeat Mavericks for 18th NBA title, eclipsing Lakers for most championships
LA TimesJayson Tatum put his hands behind his head, with fans in TD Garden standing on their feet cheering around him, and took it all in. Tatum had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and the Celtics topped the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night to win the franchise’s 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Lakers for the most in league history. That.792 winning percentage ranks second in team history behind the Celtics’ 1985-86 championship team that finished 82-18. “I tried to play, but I didn’t do enough.” Kyrie Irving finished with 15 points on five-for-16 shooting and has lost 13 of the last 14 meetings against the Celtics team he left in the summer of 2019 to join the Brooklyn Nets. Fans and players celebrate at TD Garden in Boston after the Celtics’ NBA championship win over the Mavericks on Monday.