Sports
Celtics and Mavericks complete Conference Finals, surprising the NBA champion and runner-up
Boston defeats the champion Bucks in game 7, while the Luka Doncic-led Mavericks beat the Suns, the best team of the year, by a landslide
May 16, 2022 9:38am
Updated: May 16, 2022 12:41pm
The NBA will have a new champion. The Boston Celtics eliminated the reigning Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the series with a 109-81 win, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals to face Miami Heat. The key to Boston's victory was efficiency from the perimeter. The Celtics' key players responded in the most crucial game of their careers: Grant Williams finished with 27 points and was the game's top scorer. At the same time, Payton Pritchard added another 5 three-pointers for an Ime Udoka's team that shot a spectacular 22-55 from three-point range.
Milwaukee was the other side of the coin: 4-33 in three-pointers, including a combined 0-18 between perimeter guards Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton, and Wesley Matthews. The loss of Khris Middleton was noticed more than ever. Giannis Antetokounmpo made up for some of that ineffectiveness with an outstanding first half, but the second half saw one of the worst performances of the playoffs. The Greek phenom finished with 25 points, 20 rebounds, and nine assists. However, it was not a good performance, shooting 10 of 26 from the field.
El Factor X de los @celtics ☘️
— NBA Latam (@NBALatam) May 15, 2022
27 puntos
7 triples
Grant Williams se une a Steph Curry y Marcus Morris como los únicos jugadores con 7 triples en un Juego 7 🤯#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/3zhYgIsGqY
Celtics' stars did rise to the challenge: Jayson Tatum finished with 23 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, while Jaylen Brown contributed 19 points and eight rebounds to return Boston to the place they deserve by history. The Greens will be competing for the top spot in the East against some old acquaintances.
Jayson Tatum es ARTE 🖼️#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Cny9VzCdud
— NBA Latam (@NBALatam) May 15, 2022
On the same day as the last NBA champion, the other 2021 finalist also said goodbye. Unlike what happened to the Bucks in Boston, the Phoenix Suns' fall was completely spectacular. The Dallas Mavericks played a dream game and won by 33 points, the fifth-largest margin for a Game 7 in postseason history. Jason Kidd's team won 123-90 and will now face the Golden State Warriors in the Western Finals.
LUKA MAGIC ✨
— NBA Latam (@NBALatam) May 16, 2022
35 puntos
10 rebotes
4 asistencias
2 robos
6 triples
😳pic.twitter.com/070A6pho2O
At halftime, their star Luka Doncic had the same amount of points (27) as all of Phoenix. The Slovenian led Dallas to its first Conference Finals since 2011, when they won the title. Doncic completed a great game in which he finished with 35 points, ten rebounds, and 12-19 from the field.
