Celtics win NBA title with 131-92 rout of Lakers
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The Boston Celtics won their 17th NBA title in relentless fashion, trouncing the L.A. Lakers 131-92 to win the NBA Finals in six games. It's the Celtics' first title in 22 years, dating back to the Larry Bird era.
Boston's 39-point win surpassed the NBA record for the biggest margin of victory in a championship clincher. The 1965 Celtics beat the Lakers by 33 to win the title that year.
These Celtics completed the greatest one-year turnaround in NBA history. Last season they won just 24 games and missed the playoffs. This season they won 66 regular-season games and finished with a playoff-record 13 home wins.
Paul Pierce, who's spent his entire career wearing Celtic green, was named MVP of the finals. He scored 17 in the clinching win, but averaged more than 21 points in the NBA Finals.
The other two members of Boston's Big Three, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, each scored 26.