Jaylen Brown finally received the Larry Bird Trophy for his phenomenal contribution to the Boston Celtics’ Eastern Conference Finals (ECF) series win against the Indiana Pacers. While his teammates looked happy for him, Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem pointed out that Celtics ace Jayson Tatum was “shocked.”
The 3-time champion recently stated on ESPN, “I think Jayson was just shocked.” On the contrary, the Celtics forward was spotted smiling throughout when the team celebrated Brown’s ECF MVP. On seeing Haslem’s odd opinion, the Phoenix Suns veteran Eddie. A. Johnson came out in Tatum’s defense.
Sharing Barstool Sports’ X post (formerly known as Twitter) questioning the 5-time All-Star’s celebration, Johnson wrote, “This a joke. Jayson Tatum is smiling, patting on back and clapping. What else should he do? Take off his shirt and dance on the court.”
Brown stood out for his team in the ECF series, averaging 29.8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game, whereas Tatum put up 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game in the 4-0 series win.
Though the 26-year-old forward had better numbers, he lost the golden opportunity to his teammate by a single vote, and Tatum had no hard feelings.
Jayson Tatum Talks About Jaylen Brown’s ECF MVP Win
The Celtics entered the game on Monday night to snatch their fourth straight win against the Pacers and finished with a 105-102 win, thanks to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum chipping in 29 and 26 points, respectively. Following the series win, the Boston guard was given his due, the ECF MVP, which was celebrated by his teammates, including Tatum, who lost the title to Brown.
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During the post-game interview, when Tatum was asked about Brown’s award, he said, “That was special, big time to be rewarded on how you played. That’s a special accomplishment for him and for everybody.”
Not sure about Tatum but Jaylen Brown was genuinely shocked by the award as revealed by him in the post-game press conference. With their glorious win, the Celtics have confirmed their spots in the NBA Finals, eagerly waiting for their next contender between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Also Read: The 2013 Trade That Gave Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s Legacy
