A night of record-breaking was finally upon the Boston Celtics. After having to wait 16 years, the Shamrocks are finally Champions of the NBA once again. It’s their 18th franchise title, torpedoing the Los Angeles Lakers to earn the unchallenged accolade. In their maiden season with the new central core, the East powerhouse simply mauled the Mavericks at the TD Garden. Jayson Tatum rang the Finals MVP bells with his incredible performance closing Game 5. The basketball prodigy challenged the Mavs’ defense all night, became the facilitator on offense, and showed just why they were one of the most feared oppositions to come up against. While the night belonged to him, the Finals was a story about Jaylen Brown.
As Silver announced his name as the Bill Russell Finals MVP, Brown was in disbelief. His mother was visibly emotional, brimming with happiness at her son’s incredulous success. His partner since the time he was drafted, Tatum stood there smiling from teeth to teeth. They had played 107 playoff games before winning, after all, the most for any duo in NBA history. “I share this with my brothers and with my partner in crime, Jayson Tatum. He was with me the whole way. So we share this s**t together… I don’t care. I don’t give a f**k what nobody says,” Brown said on the podium after hosting the elegant-looking trophy for the roaring Celtics supporters.
Jaylen Brown wins the NBA Finals MVP Trophy. Upon accepting it, he declared it a total team effort, and he shares it with his "partner in crime" Jayson Tatum. pic.twitter.com/4e6Rxukm2o
— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) June 18, 2024
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Jaylen Brown, the man who signed the largest contract in NBA history yet wasn’t supposedly given the earned respect. Despite his riveting regular season display, he didn’t make any All-NBA or All-Defense teams. “I never win s**t” he admitted after being named the ECF MVP. Playing as the secondary, JB scored 20 or more in 4 of the 5 clashes against the Mavs. He only failed to go over in the blowout loss in Game 4, where no Celtics starter could get over that hump. Tonight, he added 21 points behind JT’s fine performance in the series closer.
On the other hand, Tatum had his moments, but he was inconsistent. In 3 of the 5 NBA Finals games, he scored below 20 points and shot horrendously. Every expert began questioning the 26-year-old’s viability as a superstar. As the ace, he was meant to take control and dismantle the Dallas side. However, he stepped up today and his excellence saw him become the lead scorer on the Celtics, averaging 22.2 points during the stretch of five games.
Jaylen Brown is now forever etched into NBA history as the Finals MVP during the Celtics’ record-breaking 18th NBA title. The achievement can’t be replicated. Moreover, it doesn’t seem the feasting is over just yet. As his crime accomplice, Jayson Tatum said, “So we just gotta do it again next year”. Do you think the Shamrocks can continue their reign and be potential back-to-back champs?
The Celtics proved that cohesion brings titles
As Brown, a veteran Shamrock now rightfully quoted, “It was a full team effort”. Nothing symbolizes the Celtics’ championship run more than those words right there. Don’t get it wrong, Brown was a prolific force and the most impact-making of all. However, no championship is possible without the entire team being aware and conscious of their jobs.
Jrue Holiday and Derrick White played a suffocating defense on Kyrie all season long. It got to the point where the All-Defensive duo were winning games on that end of the floor. At times, they even supplemented as scorers. Holiday notably scored 26, a team-high in Game 2 of the Finals. Horford dragged his 38-year-old fatigued body for the entire season and even played additional minutes with Porzingis out of action. Jayson Tatum unleashed his inner demigod when it mattered the most to close out the series at home.
The Celtics were assembled in such a way. Every single component had a designated role. For Mazzulla’s plans and schemes to work, it was essential for the players to work in unison, and so they did. Now the core group reaps the rewards of their season-long heist.
Jaylen Brown might be smiling more, but the celebrations will be shared and wild for everyone, regardless of their stats. Even though they were the favorites, hiking for a championship through the varied challenges is no easy task. The Celtics did it flawlessly. As a team, as individuals, and as professionals, the Celtics always seemed to be the best team this season. Now, they have a banner to show for it.
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But before you go, be sure to check this video of Leonard Armato’s take on Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese.
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