After the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 105-102 in Game 4 to complete the sweep, the attention turned to center stage. After giving the Bob Cousy trophy to Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck and the team, former Celtic Cedric Maxwell presented the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP to Jaylen Brown.
“All praise to the most high. We were in this building not too long ago and were getting booed,” Brown said after accepting the award. “Thankful to God to be here. I appreciate everything, and let’s get some more.”
Brown averaged 29.8 points on 52% shooting from the floor with five rebounds per game in the series. In Game 4, Brown put up 29 on 11-of-22 shooting (4-8 from three) with six boards and three steals.
Brown received five of the nine votes for Eastern Conference MVP. Jayson Tatum received the other four votes.
When asked what he was feeling when his name was called for the honor, Brown said, “I wasn’t expecting it at all. I never win s*#%. I was just happy that we won.”
Perhaps it was a shot at the media after he wasn’t selected to an All-NBA team. However, Brown said that it was not making the All-Defense team that hurt him the most.
Jaylen said during his press conference that “the energy is about to shift,” A famous line he said last year which spurred a massive run to close the regular season. He also added that he’s “one of the best two-way wings/guards in this game.”
Brown made countless big plays in the fourth quarter including two three-pointers to keep Boston within striking distance and the final assist to Derrick White for the game winner.
“I think he got good shots all game. In the first half he was pushing the pace, he got two feet in the paint, I thought he was getting great shots the whole game and he stayed with it,” Joe Mazzulla said.
When the Celtics needed him the most, Brown delivered on both ends of the floor. Brown made a step-through shot to tie the game. Moments later, he had maybe the play of the game when he blocked Andrew Nembhard at the rim (with his left hand), and then assisted White on the final shot.
Jaylen Brown with two huge plays. First the block, then the dime.
And what a shot by Derrick White. It’s actually a game-winning three: pic.twitter.com/WJR6MCAaWx
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) May 28, 2024
After hitting the tying three in Game 1, Jaylen broke out in Game 2, when he exploded for 40 points on 14-27 shooting and shot 40% from behind the arc in a 126-110 win.
After a summer filled with memes about Brown and his left hand, the hard work paid off as Brown was dominant and decisive, arguably the best player on the court in every game of this series. Now Brown and the rest of the Boston Celtics have a chance to bring home Banner 18 when the NBA Finals begin on Thursday, June 6.
Jayson Tatum said it was “special” that Brown was named MVP of the ECF. “Big time to be rewarded for how he played. That’s a special accomplishment for him and for everybody,” Tatum said.
Brown concluded by talking about the work he and the team put in all season.
“It’s been nothing but a grind. We haven’t skipped no steps all season. We got a bunch of great guys in this locker room, a bunch of tough guys. Our coaching staff have been great. [The] Front office has been great. Now we want to take it to the next step,” Brown said.
