If the Celtics had failed to win the title, he would probably have been thinking about ending his career because he is 37 years old, and not at his prime anymore. Overall, I also think Horford deserved it. It's worth noting that he performed well in the final series vs. the Warriors in '22, and it's nice to see that he still managed to get the ring at the second attempt.
Not only does Horford deserves the championship, but everyone in the team. Brown and Tatum have spent so many playoff games without getting into the Finals and now they actually made a good job seizing the opportunity as they stepped foot in the finals finally.
I believe Luka will have his time soon, but I'm not just sure if it's together with Kyrie again, but this whole Dallas squad is young and promising. If they can stick to that team in the next 2-3 years they'll probably get a championship within that time frame.
Correct, actually it was used to be Smart and Brown and Tatum, but it seems that the 3 is not clicking and Smart wanted to be out of Boston after so many failed attempts, like going into the Finals against the Warriors and then just last season, losing in the East finals.
For the Mavs, Luka is still very young and there could have been criticism of him like too much complaining in he didn't get the foul instead of focusing the game. Perhaps they can also make a move and look for another player that might help them.