The Boston Celtics, displaying their dominance, triumphed over the Dallas Mavericks with a score of 106-88 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Boston on Monday night. This victory not only sealed the series 4-1 but also marked their league-record 18th title. But it was the tandem of Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum who proved their distractors wrong and brought another NBA championship back to Boston.
Jaylen Brown, who added 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, was named the NBA Finals MVP. While averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists per game, Brown was a key factor in the Celtics’ success in winning in front of the Celtics home crowd.
After accepting the Bill Russell Trophy, Brown graciously attributed part of his success to his teammate Jayson Tatum, who could have been named the MVP for his Finals performance.
“It was a full team effort,” Brown stated. “I share this with my brothers. My partner-in-crime, Jayson Tatum. He was with me the whole way. We share this s— together.”
The Celtics star Tatum was a pivotal player in the game. He scored a game-high 31 points, and was instrumental with 11 assists and eight rebounds. He averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in the NBA Finals.
Boston Celtics forward-guard Jaylen Brown received seven of the 11 votes for #NBAFinals MVP from a media panel covering the series. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum received the other four votes.
Complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/i9g51gD10S
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 18, 2024
Also, Tatum became the sixth player in NBA history to win the championship while leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists throughout the playoffs. He joins Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Bird, and Tim Duncan as the only men to accomplish the feat.
Jayson Tatum becomes the 6th player in NBA history to win the championship while leading their team in PTS • REB • AST in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/9YGtPemINr
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) June 18, 2024
“Jayson, I can’t talk enough about his selflessness,” Brown said. “I can’t talk enough about his attitude. It’s just how he approached not just this series or the Finals but just the playoffs in general.”
Tatum surpassed Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant for scoring 2,695 points, the most points in the NBA Playoffs by any player before the age of 27. After all the legendary Celtics to play in the other 17 NBA championship teams, Tatum is the first to score 30+ points and 10+ assists in a Finals game.
