Tatum Shares Fitting Reaction to Jaylen Brown’s ECF MVP Win originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown accomplished a lot over seven seasons as Boston Celtics teammates. And now both have “Eastern Conference Finals MVP” on their resumes.
Two years after Tatum won the first Larry Bird Trophy as East Finals MVP in Boston’s 2022 series victory over the Miami Heat, Jaylen Brown the award was presented on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse following the Celtics’ 105-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers who completed a 4-0 run and booked their ticket to the NBA Finals.
Brown admitted he was surprised to win the award, joking that he “(never) gets shit —“ in honor of the loss of the All-NBA and All-Defense teams this year. But Celtics players were thrilled to see Brown gain some recognition — including Tatum, who joined his teammates in harassing Brown at the podium after his name was called.
“That was special,” Tatum said of Brown being named East Finals MVP. “It’s a great moment to be rewarded for the way you play. It’s a special achievement for him and for everyone.”
Brown has been spectacular on both sides of this series, averaging 29.8 points on 51.7 percent shooting while adding 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 0. .8 blocks per game. He hit an incredible 3-pointer to tie the game in Game 1 to force overtime and made a series of clutch plays late in Game 4 to secure a sweep for Boston.
Tatum also had a strong case for ECF MVP – he led the Celtics in scoring (30.3 points per game) and rebounding (10.3 per game) in the series, while ranking second in assists (6.3 per game). ) – It is received four votes to Brown’s five for the award.
In recent years, this result may have created a narrative that pitted Brown and Tatum against each other about who deserves more credit for the Celtics’ success. But the All-Star teammates seem genuinely invested in each other’s success and unconcerned about who gets recognition as long as the team keeps winning.
“That was special,” Tatum said of Brown’s case block Andrew Nembhard and assist on Derrick White’s 3-pointer in the final minute of the game. “We’ve talked about this before: as a team, no matter how long it takes, whatever it takes, whatever we have to do to make sure we move forward and move forward.”
The Celtics achieved another goal in their playoff journey, beating the Pacers thanks to a true team effort that included game-changing moments from all five starters: Tatum, Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Al Horford. Brown’s recognition as East Finals MVP was well deserved, but this C team’s strength lies in its collective group, which is four more wins away from lifting Banner 18.
The NBA Finals start on June 6th, with Boston facing the winner of the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. The Mavs hold a 3-0 series lead with a chance to complete a series sweep Tuesday night in Game 4.
