This past offseason, the Boston Celtics traded away their longest-tenured player in Marcus Smart. The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year spent nine seasons in Boston and became the C's vocal leader. In his absence, the next longest-tenured player, star guard Jaylen Brown, has stepped up.

And no moment encapsulated Brown's growth better than when he raised the Larry Bird Trophy next to his smiling teammates following a 105-102 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals:

Those around Brown know how hard he's worked to lead the Celtics. Since Smart's trade to the Memphis Grizzlies, Brown ensured that a lack of leadership and guidance was never felt in the Celtics' locker room.

“Yeah, we had some guys leave, so I wanted to make sure that void was filled,” Brown said in his postgame remarks. “Marcus Smart, one of my brothers that got traded, he was one of the voices of our team. And when he wasn't here, I wanted to make sure I stepped in. Make sure that everybody felt me and everybody knew what the standard was. And we didn't skip no steps all season. I think we played the right way every single game, I've held everybody accountable, and this is the byproduct.”

After a 29-point performance, Brown was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP on Monday night. He also had six rebounds, three steals, and numerous winning plays down the stretch.

How Jaylen Brown's big day helped send Celtics to NBA Finals

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reacts during the second quarter of game three of the eastern conference finals against the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 NBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

With 2:40 left in the fourth quarter, the three-time All-Star made a smooth move to get by Pacers forward Obi Toppin. That resulted in an easy floater that tied the game, 102-102.

Game 4 was the third instance in this series in which the Celtics trailed in the fourth quarter. This didn't daunt Brown though, who followed his game-tying bucket with a steal and then a massive block on Indiana point guard Andrew Nembhard with 1:05 left in the final frame.

“Just a big-time play,” Celtics center Al Horford said when asked about Brown's block. “He’s impacting the game not only on offense, but on defense. And he’s doing it at a very high level. We ask a lot of him. I mean, tonight he started out guarding Nembhard and then he switched up to [Pascal] Siakam and then he was probably on [Myles] Turner—he was on different people just all over. And that versatility is what makes us so tough as a team, I think, because we have multiple guys that can do that. And Jaylen does it at a very high level.”

To top it all off, Brown earned the game-winning assist with less than a minute to go in regulation.

After mishandling the ball and nearly losing possession, Brown recovered and found guard Derrick White open in the corner. White then cashed the 3-pointer, giving the Celtics a 105-102 lead with 45 seconds left.

“He's a guy that—you can't shake him,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said of Brown. “He has great—just a short-term memory. If he misses a shot, [it] never affects the next one. And so I just loved his poise, his ability to just attack. If it's one thing about him, and, like Derrick said, just making plays. Like, not being defined by scoring. It was a hell of a pass. And I had full faith he was going to make that read. It was a great read.”

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Mazzulla, who's now the youngest coach to make the NBA Finals since Bill Russell, loves Brown off the court as much as he does on it.

“From the first day I've been here, he's just, he's become more, just like open-minded towards just growing as a basketball player,” Mazzulla stated. “You see what he's done in the community. And, I just really, really value the time that I get to spend with him on and off the court. He just keeps getting better and better. I'm happy for him.”

Celtics star Jayson Tatum shared a similar sentiment during his postgame press conference:

“It was special,” he said when asked for his opinion on Brown being named series MVP. “Big-time to be rewarded for how you played. That’s a special accomplishment for him and for everybody.”

Brown and company will have to shine again if they want to prevail in the 2024 NBA Finals, as this season won't mean nearly as much without Banner No. 18.

“Time has gone by, experience has been gained, and I think we are ready to put our best foot forward,” Brown said ahead of the championship round.