Jaylen Brown received the title of NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in the recently concluded matchup between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. Brown’s Celtics destroyed the Mavericks four games to one to win a historic 18th championship.
“It was a full team effort,” Brown said as he accepted the Finals MVP trophy named for Celtics legend Bill Russell.
Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in five Finals matches and delivered a solid defensive effort against Mavericks star Luka Doncic, the regular-season scoring leader.
“I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime Jayson Tatum – he was with me the whole way so we share this together,” Brown said.
Boston secured their first title since 2008. They had advanced to the finals in the 2022 season only to lose to the Golden State Warriors and last season they failed to get back to the championship race, losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.
With victory on their mind this season, the Celtics won a league-leading 64 regular-season matches.
Boston swept the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals; Brown also won MVP honours in that series.
Brown, in his first year of colossal fiv-year, $286 million contract extension with the Celtics, received his third All-Star nod, but Tatum, not him, was often recognized as the club’s top star.
Overlooked for All-NBA honours and by selectors for the US Olympic basketball team for Paris, Brown now finally has the honour he really wanted, an NBA title and the Finals MVP to complement it.
Jaylen, who was chosen third overall in the 2016 draft, shared a long, heartwarming hugh with Tatum as the last moments of the 106-88 deciding match counted down.
Brown said he had let go of doubts from past play-off misses for this season.
“I never hung my head,” he said.
