The Boston Celtics have done it. After defeating the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals, the Celtics will be raising a championship banner for the 18th time in franchise history, a new NBA record. Since the very start of the season, Boston has been viewed as the favorite to win it all. Not only have the Celtics capped off a historic season, but Jaylen Brown has cemented his place in NBA lore by being named the recipient of the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy.
It is only fitting that Brown was named the MVP of the NBA Finals after all of the scrutiny he has received since signing his near $300 million extension last summer. Aside from finally proving all of his doubters wrong, Brown elevated his game to a new level against the Mavericks. The three-time All-Star did not let his struggles from the 2022 NBA Finals impact his play this go-around. In fact, Brown simply used the Celtics' loss to the Golden State Warriors from a couple of seasons ago to be ready for the championship moment this time around.
“Experience is the best teacher. All year long we've been hearing about the Celtics are the past, for the last six to eight months, that's all we've been hearing is all the different shortcomings we've had in the past,” Brown stated during the NBA Finals. “This is a new team, you know what I mean. We've learned from those experiences. And in these moments, you can see that we learned from it.
“We stepped up to the plate, and we found a way to win.”
Jaylen Brown's dominance vs. Mavericks
There was truly no debate about who the MVP of the 2024 NBA Finals was going to be. From the very moment this series began in Boston, Brown was the catalyst for the Celtics' offense. Not to mention, he stepped up countless times on the defensive side of the court by guarding both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. His performance in Game 1 with three steals and three blocks on defense really set the stage for the physicality Boston was going to be playing with against Dallas.
Brown continued to shine defensively in Game 2 of this series, registering three steals to go along with his 21 points and seven assists. When it appeared as if the Mavericks were going to fight their way back, Brown was the one who kept his foot on the gas pedal and revived the Celtics' offense. His constant aggressiveness and attacking the paint on offense led Boston to their 2-0 series lead heading to Dallas. It was then that Brown really sealed the deal on this NBA Finals MVP race.
After leading by as many as 21 points, the Celtics squandered their second-half lead and allowed the Mavericks to pull within one point late in the fourth quarter. Brown, who was brilliant on offense all game, scored nine points and grabbed five massive rebounds in the final quarter to propel the Celtics to a 106-99 victory and a 3-0 series lead in the NBA Finals. In total, he finished this game with 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
This series finished with Brown again filling up the scoreboard with 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Again, his two-way play paved the way for the Celtics to claim victory over the Mavericks.
Throughout the entirety of the series, Brown proved to be the one who consistently drove the Celtics' success. Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday were also major contributors to Boston's championship run, but it was always Brown who the team turned to in big moments.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd made it known that Brown was the Celtics' best player after Game 1 of this series. While this is certainly a topic of debate, it is hard to refute this statement after watching what Brown did over these four games in the championship series.
Jaylen Brown is the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, joining Larry Bird (2), John Havlicek, Cedric Maxwell, Jo Jo White, and Paul Pierce as the only other players in team history to officially be named Finals MVP.
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