The Boston Celtics captured their record 18th NBA championship Monday night, overpowering the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. This victory propels the Celtics past their historic rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, for the most titles in league history.

At the post-game trophy presentation, Celtics’ 35-year-old head coach Joe Mazzulla reflected on the magnitude of the achievement. “You have very few chances in life to be great… you’ve got to take the bull by the horns and you’ve got to own it, and our guys owned it,” Mazzulla declared.

The Celtics dominated from the outset, racing to a 21-point lead by halftime and never relinquishing control. What many anticipated to be a fiercely contested series concluded with Boston comfortably wrapping up the Finals 4-1 on their home court. Even the Mavericks’ commanding 38-point win in Game 4 seemed like a fleeting challenge in Boston’s otherwise dominant playoff run, where they only dropped three games in total.

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who excelled throughout the season and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the third time, played a pivotal role in the clinching game. Tatum scored 31 points, dished out 11 assists, and grabbed 8 rebounds. Reflecting on the Game 4 setback, Tatum said, “We’ve responded all year and this was no different. We owed our fans; it’s been a long journey.”

Sixteen years to the day after their last championship in 2008, the Celtics were back at the top. Jaylen Brown, contributing 21 points in Game 5, earned the Finals MVP honors. “It was a full team effort and I’m going to share this with my brothers and my partner in crime Jayson Tatum, he was with me the whole way,” Brown said before embracing Tatum.

The Mavericks, who struggled throughout the night, were led by Luka Dončić’s 28 points and 12 rebounds. Despite his personal performance, Dončić had a tough night defensively and committed seven turnovers, failing to connect on his first six three-point attempts. “I’m proud of every guy that stepped on the floor, all the coaches, all the people behind [the scenes],” Dončić remarked. “We didn’t win the finals, but we did have a hell of a season and I’m proud of every one of them.”

Kyrie Irving, facing his former team, endured another rough outing, managing just 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting. Reflecting on his struggles against the Celtics, Irving acknowledged, “We finally ran into a team that beat us fair and square… We weren’t able to respond to a lot of their runs.”

Despite the defeat, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd found positives in his team’s journey to the Finals. “I thought the group did a great job,” Kidd noted. “Yes, we lost [the Finals] 4-1, but they fought against the Celtics… there’s lots of positives in this run.”

The Celtics’ triumph ends a series of near-misses and heartaches. Besides their recent Finals loss two years ago, they have been perennial contenders, often faltering in the conference finals over the past decade. Tatum, addressing past criticisms, confidently stated, “What they gonna say now?”

On a night where the Celtics showcased their dominance, it was clear that they had the final word in a season marked by their exceptional performance, culminating in this historic championship victory.