Jaylen Brown earns NBA Finals MVP after Celtics close out Mavericks for 18th title
Jaylen Brown has been named the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP after the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 106-88, in Game 5 Monday to secure their record 18th championship.
Brown capped off his stellar series with a 21-point, eight-rebound, six-assist performance in Game 5 to close out the series. Through the five games, Brown posted averages of 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Brown’s best came in the Game 3 victory, when he tallied 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. The three-time All-Star was passed up for the All-NBA team this season, but now has a Finals MVP on his résumé.
Brown led the Celtics on one of the most dominant postseason runs of all-time, as the Celtics went 16-3 including 8-1 in the conference championship and NBA Finals. But Brown didn’t do it alone. He certainly had help from players such as Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis and of course, Jayson Tatum.
Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum pivotal in NBA Finals win over Mavericks
Tatum made a push to be Finals MVP, saving his best for Game 5. He tallied 31 points on 11-of-24 from the field to go along with 11 assists and seven rebounds. He is the first Celtic with 30 plus points and 10 plus assists in an NBA Finals game. Through the series, Tatum posted averages of 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game.
The duo has been the face of the Celtics for the past seven seasons and essentially grown up together in Boston. Together, they’ve guided the Celtics to tons of success, including a Finals appearance in 2022. But when it came to getting over the hump, Brown and Tatum just couldn’t get it done.
Until now. And after accepting the Finals MVP award, Brown made sure to shoutout Tatum.
“It was a full team effort and I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime Jayson Tatum,” Brown told Lisa Salters of ESPN. “He was with me the whole way.”