As the Boston Celtics look to potentially sweep the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of this year's Finals on Friday at the American Airlines Center, their balanced offense and cohesive defense have sparked the most compelling Finals MVP argument in years. That's no coincidence: The longer the series goes on, the easier it becomes to see which player is making the biggest impact. Plus, the last eight NBA Finals MVPs had the benefit of having won either the NBA MVP or Finals MVP awards. Boston's top candidate doesn't have that one stamp of approval to back up his case.
Given his strong offensive and defensive play, Kristaps Porzingis probably would have been in the conversation had he not missed Game 3 with a left ankle injury suffered in Game 2 and been in doubt for Game 4. As it stands, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday all deserve serious consideration in the media poll if Boston is to win its long-awaited 18th championship.
The cases for each player are as follows:
Tatum (who averaged 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in the Finals) is the classic candidate. The Celtics' most decorated and decorated star, he was the team's primary initiator against the Mavericks. The five-time All-Star led Boston in usage rate, shots and assists, and he snapped a long shooting slump with a team-high 31 points in Game 3.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was effusive in his praise of Tatum's trust in the pass in Game 2 — “Jason makes greatness look easy” — and the 26-year-old forward is making far better decisions as a distributor than he did in the 2022 Finals loss to the Warriors. Without Tatum's committed ball movement, Boston's offense could have easily stalled in Games 2 and 3.
Of course, there's also the obvious issue of Tatum's inefficiency to consider. He's shot just 35.9% from the field and 29.6% from 3-point range in the Finals, both numbers well below his career playoff numbers and the typical Finals MVP standard. In fact, his 36.4% shooting percentage in Finals games since 2022 is the fifth-worst among all players with at least 100 shot attempts in the NBA's 3-point shooting era.
Tatum's solid defense and ability to play long stretches are easily overlooked when his jump shots aren't falling, but a big scoring performance to close out his first title would make it easier for voters to reward all his work. If he wins the Finals MVP, it would be the ultimate achievement to recognize an every-star's championship run, similar to Durant's in 2017.
Brown has been so impressive in the playoffs (averaging 24.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists in the Finals) that he's moved from being the No. 2 to playing as a “1A and 1B” with Tatum. The 27-year-old forward was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP in the team's sweep of the Indiana Pacers and looked good against the Mavericks. After three games, he's Boston's leading scorer and the favorite to be Finals MVP.
When Boston needed big shots late in games, Brown looked for the chances to score and delivered, helping close out Game 1 after a stellar first half from Porzingis, then in Game 3, he hit a key mid-range jump shot to stop Dallas from storming back from a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit. Brown has struggled to get his outside shot back, but he was excellent at attacking the basket throughout the series, including an emphatic dunk over a Mavericks interior defender.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd made waves after Game 1 when he declared Brown, not Tatum, to be Boston's “best player.” The dissenting opinion was largely due to Brown's defense of Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who struggled with turnovers throughout the series and was consistently ineffective late in games. Brown's physical, agile defense stifled Doncic and led to scoring opportunities in transition.
Brown overtook Tatum as the favorite for Finals MVP after Game 3, likely because Brown scored 24 of his 30 points in the second half and made arguably the best shot of the night with just over a minute left. If Brown continues to be Boston's leading scorer and frustrate Doncic, he could be a Finals MVP much like Leonard was with the Toronto Raptors in 2019: a big, physical wing with a strong presence on both ends who can't be beaten.
While Boston's “Two Jays” get the most attention, Holiday, the third Jay, played an equally important role in their Finals victory. The 34-year-old guard was acquired last offseason to fill the void left by the trade of backcourt stopper Marcus Smart in the Porzingis deal. Smart built a reputation in Boston as a player who makes “winning plays,” and Holiday put that reputation on full display against Dallas.
Holiday (15.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists) has taken credit for Tatum and Brown and has dubbed himself a “utility guy,” but his mark is all over this 3-0 series lead. In Game 1, he assumed defensive responsibility against Doncic, slowing Dallas' comeback. In Game 2, he made 11 of 14 shots from the field and was the primary target for Tatum's passes. He was less impressive in Game 3, but still managed to grab some big offensive rebounds and made some great passes at key moments to set up Derrick White for a key 3-pointer.
Holiday's impact on defense is also significant. The Mavericks have failed to top 100 points in three straight games, and Holiday's disruptive presence has affected ball movement and flow. Doncic and Kyrie Irving have been forced into a two-man battle, with both guards looking less comfortable against the Celtics than they were early in the playoffs. This isn't a new trend for Holiday, whose perimeter defense was crucial to the Milwaukee Bucks' 2021 championship run.
There is precedent for a defensive-minded, complementary scorer like Holiday winning Finals MVP: Leonard with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 and Andre Iguodala with the Warriors in 2015. Holiday probably won't win the Bill Russell Trophy, but the trade that acquired him with the Celtics last October will be remembered as the move that finally turned the tide after years of postseason stumbles.
