NBA Finals Game 5: Winners and losers from Celtics blowout victory over the Mavericks

Holiday was all over the court Monday as Boston ended the 2024 NBA Finals. His defense on Kyrie Irving was among the biggest stories of the entire final round. His ability to control the game on offense was also highly underrated. When all was said and done in Game 5, Holiday recorded 15 points with 11 rebounds and four assists. Dallas was also plus-21 in his 43 minutes of action. Talk about making a huge impact.

At times throughout the postseason, Washington proved his worth as a three-and-D wing for the Mavericks. Unfortunately, he just didn’t have it in the NBA Finals. That included hitting on just 6-of-17 from three-point range in the first four games of the series. Washington was no better Monday night in Boston, scoring a mere four points on 0-of-5 from distance in Game 5. Dallas was also minus-26 in his 34 minutes of action. Talk about coming up small.

We had called out Green earlier in the NBA Finals for his inability to score and lack of aggressiveness. Green had scored all of 15 points in the first four games. However, he was one of just a couple Mavericks players that came to play in Boston. The guard hit on 4-of-6 from three-point range, scoring 14 points in 22 minutes of action. Outside of Green, Mavericks players hit on 7-of-31 from distance. Ouch!

Irving had drawn criticism at times during the postseason for his lack of consistency. After scoring 56 points in the previous two games, he just did not have it as Dallas dropped Game 5. The enigmatic guard hit on 5-of-16 from the field, including missing on six of his nine attempts from distance. Irving scored 15 points in 41 minutes of action. That’s just not going to cut it behind Luka Doncic.

Talk about answering the call. After a brutal showing in Boston’s 38-point loss in Game 4, Tatum was not about to let the NBA Finals extend beyond Monday night. He was absolutely brilliant throughout, scoring 31 points on 11-of-24 shooting from the field. Tatum added eight rebounds and 11 assists in helping Boston put this one on ice.

NBA TV ratings for the Finals proved this to a T. Boston was simply the superior team. Games lacked competitiveness throughout with only two matchups finishing with a final margin of under 10 points. Monday’s game was a blowout from the start. Sure, Celtics fans are enjoying their team being back on top. But the average NBA fan wasn’t terribly interested in the NBA Finals. The lack of drama played a major role in that. It’s a highly unfortunate way to end what was an otherwise awesome season.

Brilliant. A star was born in Boston during the NBA Finals. As underrated as they come around the Association, Brown stepped up on the game’s grandest of stages. He shot just 7-of-23 Monday night. But Brown added eight rebounds and six assists while turning the ball over just one time. He also played elite-level defense out on the perimeter. We can no longer discount Brown. He is legitimately one of the best all-around players in the game.

We had seen Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively come up big at times during the postseason. They seemed to have the advantage against Boston’s big guys in the NBA Finals. In no way did that come to fruition in Game 5. Gafford scored six points with three rebounds in 11 minutes of action. Dallas was minus-six in Lively’s 24 minutes. He added just two points and four rebounds. That’s not going to cut it against a team as deep and talented as the Celtics.

Boston would not have won the NBA Finals without Derrick White. It really is that simple. He came up big throughout the postseason. That was no different in Game 5 Monday night. The guard hit on 4-of-8 from distance, scoring 14 points. He also added eight rebounds. Playing great on defense and contributing on the other end of the court was White’s calling card in the playoffs. That came to a culmination in Game 5.

Doncic’s numbers were not terrible Monday night. He scored 28 points with 12 rebounds while shooting 12-of-25 from the field. But that’s just box score scouting. Doncic also turned the ball over six times with just four assists. He missed on 7-of-9 from beyond the arc. In reality, Doncic was just a normal player in Game 5. The Mavericks needed more. It’s going to lead to a summer of questions relating to the suddenly embattled star.