The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night to win the NBA championship. The victory closed out a 4-1 series and gave the Celtics their 18th NBA title and first since 2008.
Former Virginia forward Sam Hauser provided some depth off the bench for Boston all season and did exactly that on Monday night. He scored eight points, the most of any Celtic off the bench, and added four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 17 minutes of play.
“It was pretty special,” Hauser told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin. “To do it on our home floor, in front of our fans with all the banners hanging up, now we get to put our own up. It’s pretty special to do it at home, it’s so surreal right now. It doesn’t even feel like we won almost, it hasn’t sunk in yet.”
Abby Chin caught up exclusively with Sam Hauser in the locker room 🍾 pic.twitter.com/aw5kyC9dGZ
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 18, 2024
Hauser is the sixth former Cavalier to win an NBA title as a player and the first to do it since 2021. Mamadi Diakite (Milwaukee Bucks, 2021), Rick Carlisle (1986, Boston Celtics), Jeff Lamp (1988, Los Angeles Lakers), Marc Iavaroni (1983, Philadelphia 76ers) and Wally Walker (1977, Portland Trail Blazers and 1979, Seattle Sonics) are the others to accomplish the feat.
Hauser’s college career started at Marquette, where he averaged 12.7 points per game across 101 games in three seasons. The Wisconsin native transferred to Virginia in 2019 and sat out for a year before averaging 16 points a game for the Cavaliers in the 2020-2021 season.
🏆 𝐍𝐁𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧🏆
🔶⚔️🔷#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/lIxJQNku0T
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) June 18, 2024
After not being selected in the 2021 NBA draft, Hauser signed a two-way deal with the Celtics, splitting time with Boston and its G-League affiliate, the Maine Celtics. In early 2022, his two-way contract was converted to a standard contract. Hauser signed a three-year extension with the Celtics that summer.
Hauser averaged a career-high in minutes and points this year, playing 22 minutes per game and scoring nine points per game, respectively.
Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com
