After a hard-fought victory of 105-102 on Monday, the Boston Celtics triumphed over the Indiana Pacers, sweeping the Eastern Conference Finals in four games. Despite the challenges, Jaylen Brown's exceptional performance earned him the series MVP title. Brown's average of 29.8 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals per game throughout the series is a testament to his resilience. A day after being overlooked for All-NBA honors, he bounced back with a stunning forty points in Game 2. His game-tying three-pointer in Game 1 pushed the game into overtime, which the Celtics eventually won.
While Brown is often seen as Jayson Tatum's second in command, the two shared the spotlight in this series. Tatum's impressive average of 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists would have made him a strong contender for the Larry Bird Trophy on his own. Together, their combined efforts proved to be a formidable force that the Pacers and every other team in the playoffs struggled to overcome. Despite the distractions surrounding Brown, such as the controversy over his exclusion from the All-NBA teams and the Stephen A. Smith incident, the team's unity and strength prevailed, leading to their victory.
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Jaylen Brown Awarded Series MVP
The Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Pacers were all defeated by the Celtics in a total of 14 games thus, their route to the NBA Finals has often been rather steady. While Kristaps Porziņģis hasn't played since the opening round, they also went up against teams with their best players injured. The Heat's Jimmy Butler, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen were all hurt on this NBA Finals run. Luck is a big part of winning a championship. So far, the Celts have been pretty lucky to go along with some truly dominating play.
Porzingis coming back healthy for the Finals would bode well for Boston. Brown, Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Al Horford will all need to step up significantly if Porziņāis isn't ready. The Celtics are presumed to take on the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs feature two of the best late-game closers in the association, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. All in all, the NBA Finals will be incredible. Let's see if Jaylen Brown can lead his team to a chip.
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