There will inevitably be debate over the Finals MVP trophy. Jaylen Brown didn't steal his reward, but maybe he should have shared it with Jayson Tatum. If the first was the big man in the first two rounds, the second weighed more in the 3rd and 5th rounds. Like this night when Tatum again came close to the triple-double with 31 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. All at 11 out of 24 on shots to win, at the age of 26, his first career title.
“My God… It’s a surreal feeling. We did it !!! » Tatum yells at the buzzer. ” God is the greatest. Not because we won, but because I was able to make the most of the qualities that God gave me surrounded by his guys, my family… It's an incredible feeling. We spent our season responding, and tonight, it was again. We owed it to this audience, to our fans. The journey has been so long…”
Boston's leading scorer, rebounder and passer in the playoffs
From this successful Game 5, we will remember that the All-Star winger gave the first hook, at the end of the 1st quarter. Then, the 2nd before the break. And it's him again, in the 4th quarter, who destroys the Mavericks' comeback attempts. Whether by going for baskets with the foul, or by showing off his technique on a lucky “fadeaway” on Tim Hardaway Jr.
It was great Tatum on a technical and creative level, and he finished these playoffs as the Celtics' best scorer, best passer and best rebounder. Like a Hakeem Olajuwon, a LeBron James or a Nikola Jokic before him.
What will the critics say now?
But he won't have that Finals MVP trophy. The day before, he had explained that he was not making it a priority. Other superstars before him, like Larry Bird or Kobe Bryant, were not MVP of the Finals for each title won.
“What will they say now? What will they say now? » he asks in reference to the critics who accused him of having failed in 2022. Perhaps he was not elected MVP of the Finals… Before him, Stephen Curry often heard it, before recovering the trophy in 2022. At only 26 years old, Tatum has plenty of time to imitate him, and to imitate Jaylen Brown. But before that, Tatum has the possibility of going for a 2nd Olympic gold medal. And Curry isn't having any.
