MVP award took Brown by a surprise. “I was not ready for that at all,” he said, holding the Bird trophy. ‘I don’t ever win s—. I was just happy we won.’ But his overall performance in the series made him an invaluable asset to the Boston team that landed them a spot in the finals. Brown averaged 29. He has managed to score an average of 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in the series and thus crowned the series ‘MVP’ just by a whisker beating his teammate Jayson Tatum.
Tatum also had a great series here averaging 30. 3 points and 10. 3 rebounds. In Game 4, he made 26 points, had 13 rebounds and made 8 assists. While Tatum played a pivotal role in the first three games, Brown emerged as the game-changer in the final moments of the last two games.
The Larry Bird Trophy is awarded to the best performer in the Eastern Conference Finals, and it is named after Bird, a Celtics Legend. Brown excelled in offense and defense that benefited his teammate Derrick White who credited him for the game winning pass. ‘This whole series he was unreal,’ White said. An all-out athlete who can play offense and defense.
Despite being without their leading scorer Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers really pushed for a win. At the end of the last one and a half minutes the scores amounted to 102 all. Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard could have given the Pacers a comfortable lead, but Brown emerged to make a critical block to reverse the score in favor of the Celtics. Brown then drove into the lane and passed to White, who hit the game winner from behind the arc.
Brown played an influential role throughout the game. He scored 11 of 22 from the field goals and was the leading free throw maker for his team with four. He got off to a bad start shooting merely 4 out of 11 in the first half but redeemed himself in the second half. Celtics trailed by as much as nine points in the fourth quarter, Brown made 10 points in the final quarters.
When asked how he felt after the game Brown had this to say, “I was playing like trash in the first half. The pace was really getting to me. I just needed to be a little more patient in the second half and let the game come to me. I was trying to get to the basket and use my physicality, but sometimes you have to take the jump shot. ”
This heroism was clear right from the onset of the series by Brown. His three-pointer in the closing seconds of the game tied the score in the first contest, and Boston won in overtime. He had 40 points in the second game of the series and a shooting accuracy of 37 percent for the entire series.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla commented on Brown’s toughness. “He was quick in his short-term memory. A shot was missed, the next is completely unaffected. I just admired his confidence and his approach.”
Brown was very lucky not to get in serious trouble in Game 4 when he elbowed T. J. McConnell in the face as he went for the rebound. The referees watched the play again but did not rule it as a flagrant foul. Brown explained: “I was just trying to go for the ball and it is such a fast game, just trying to make a play on the ball, maybe got him in the face a little bit. T. J. is my guy. I have a lot of respect for T. J. McConnell.
The Celtics will be participating in the NBA finals for the 23rd time and for the second time in the past three seasons. Game 1 of the 2024 Finals will be played in Boston on June 6 with the Dallas Mavericks or the Minnesota Timberwolves as the opposing team. Dallas is now three games to none in the Western Conference Finals and can close out the series on Tuesday night in Dallas.
Brown felt sure and prepared for the task. “I believe I am one of the two-way wings or guards in this league,” he stated. “This year I felt that I have improved my game to the next level. ”