Never have these Celtics been as close to achieving that single, validating, crowning goal of winning of title as they are now after taking a 3-0 lead on the Dallas Mavericks with a 106-99 victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals Wednesday night.

Longtime stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 61 points as the Celtics withstood a late Dallas Mavericks rally in Game 3.