The Boston Celtics are heading to the 2024 NBA Finals after sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Huge performances from Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown kept the C's going and they now await their NBA Finals opponent. Brown won the MVP award for the conference finals, beating out his co-star by the slimmest of margins.

Brown narrowly edged Tatum out for the ECF MVP award, receiving five of the nine votes while the other Jay got the remaining four. He was mobbed by his teammates as he was announced for the award, raising it high above his head with a huge smile.

After receiving the award — the first trophy honor of his NBA career — Brown admitted that he was taken by surprise.

“I wasn't expecting it at all. I don’t ever win s**t. So, I was just happy that we won,” Jaylen Brown said. “Give credit to Indiana. They played us tough. I know people think Indiana wasn’t a good team or whatever the case may [be]. I thought they were as tough as anybody that we played all season. They were physical, they were fast, they put a lot of pressure on us. Shoutout to them and respect to them.”

In the four-game series, Brown posted per-game averages of 29.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from deep. He dropped a series-high 40 points in Game 2 and scored 19 points on 7-11 shooting in the second half of the decisive Game 4.

Although Tatum did rank above Brown in points, rebounds and assists per game, the voters seemed to value Brown's superior scoring efficiency and timely scoring. The debate over who was the more deserving candidate took a backseat to Brown taking home the hardware and the Celtics winning the series.

Jayson Tatum heaps praise on Jaylen Brown for winning ECF MVP

Tatum, who won the conference finals MVP award when the Celtics made it to the NBA Finals in 2022, was happy for his teammate.

“It was special. Big-time to be rewarded for how he played,” the Celtics superstar said. “That’s a special accomplishment for him and for everybody.”

Even though the Celtics' path to the Finals was made easier by injuries to opposing stars — both in series they played in (Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Haliburton) and to other stars who they could have played if not for said injuries (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Jalen Brunson) — they nonetheless did the job they were supposed to do. The East indeed belongs to them, even if they met less resistance than was expected. All they could do was play who lined up across from them. They did just that and breezed to the franchise’s 23rd Finals appearance.

The Celtics dropping just two games in three series is, even with all those injuries, a testament to how good they are. All season long, the championship has been seen as theirs to lose. Their league-best record was one of many indicators that this group is a special one. Whoever emerges from the Western Conference Finals will be a much better (and healthier) adversary, giving them their toughest test yet on the biggest stage.

The Celtics will face either the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves in the Finals. The former leads the series 3-0 ahead of a home Game 4. The NBA Finals will begin on Thursday, June 6 at TD Garden.