The duckboats may not yet be fired up but the celebrations have started for the Boston Celtics. Their 106 to 88 victory at home against the Dallas Mavericks ensured that an 18th banner will be raised in TD Garden. While there have been a lot of contributors to this massive NBA Finals triumph like Jrue Holiday’s steals and Jayson Tatum’s team-leading performances, it was Jaylen Brown who was crowned as the series’ Most Valuable Player. The UC Berkeley alum’s celebration was quite unique.
NBA Finals MVP showcases his new hardware
The Celtics are off to celebrate their NBA Finals victory by going to South Beach. While each member of the squad had their own unique version of commemorating the joyous event, Jaylen Brown headed to gamble. This is nothing new for a star in the league who is earning the most out of everyone. But, what caught the eyes of Celtics fans was his NBA Finals MVP trophy sitting on the table where he was gambling.
This does not at all mean that Brown disrespects the trophy. He might just love its company and is having a little bit of fun with it after earning it against the Mavericks. In fact, he even outlined why this meant so much to him as a member of the Celtics. The NBA Finals MVP said these words when he won, via Justin Turpin of WEEI.
“Just Bill Russell and what he’s meant for me through my Boston journey. Everything that he stood for, just for this to be the Bill Russell MVP Award. I’ve got nothing, man. I don’t even know what to say. It’s unreal,” Brown declared.
There have been a lot of players who notched this award throughout the history of the league. However, it is the first time that the Celtics have swept the postseason trophies named after former players of their organization. Brown took home the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP along with the Larry Bird Finals MVP trophy. The Bob Cousy trophy, given to the Eastern Conference team to make it to the Finals, was also given to the squad. It was in 2022 when they got the closest before this year.
Jaylen Brown’s path to bringing glory to the Celtics
Related NewsArticle continues below
To say that the road was tough is an understatement. Brown heard a lot of vitriol because of his five-year deal worth $303 million. He was told that his left hand did not work and that Jayson Tatum should be given a proper running mate that was not him. What did Brown do? He shut out all the noise despite Jason Kidd’s last-ditch effort to create some divide between him and Tatum.
As a result, he averaged the most postseason points in his career (23.9). He did it with an insane 51.6% clip from all three levels of scoring. Brown also managed to notch 1.2 steals alongside 5.9 rebounds for the Celtics throughout the whole playoffs.
Just like what he and Tatum were shouting when they won Game 5 over the Mavericks, what are they going to say now? Brown has a lot more to give and those numbers just are going to skyrocket.