A few weeks after winning Eastern Conference Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown followed it up with a Finals MVP trophy after leading the Boston Celtics to their record 18th NBA championship.
In the Boston Celtics’ 106-88 Game 5 victory against the Dallas Mavericks, Jaylen Brown had another all-around performance of 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 44 minutes of action.
Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game as the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Jayson Tatum had a strong case to win Finals MVP too, averaging 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game, but Brown had an 8-3 advantage in votes.
Before Game 5, Jaylen Brown achieved several Finals milestones, bolstering his MVP case. Jaylen Brown became the first player since Tim Duncan in 2003 to record at least three blocks and three steals in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and he also became the first player in Boston Celtics history since John Havlicek in 1968 to have at least 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in an NBA Finals game.
Boston Celtics’ patience paid off
Before winning Banner No. 18, many were skeptical about the partnership of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum because they fell short of winning it in recent years. Other than silencing their critics and making history, more importantly, Brown and Tatum did it together.
“You know, it (Finals MVP) could have gone to anybody. It could have gone to Jayson. Jayson, like, I can’t talk enough about his selflessness. You know, I can’t talk enough about his attitude. It’s just how he approached not just this series or the Finals, but just the playoffs in general. And we did it together as a team, and that was the most important thing,” Jaylen Brown said on Jayson Tatum via USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt.
Because they will have their core intact at least for the next several more years, the Boston Celtics are in a good position to win more titles, and they are the betting favorites for winning next season’s title, according to ESPN BET.
