DALLAS — After winning the Larry Bird Trophy for the Eastern Conference Finals most valuable player, Jaylen Brown said he was surprised because he never wins anything.
Three games into a series where Mavericks coach Jason Kidd called him the Celtics’ best player, Brown may have permanently ended his trophy drought. He’s the leading candidate for the Bill Russell Trophy for the NBA Final NBA Trophy now too.
After the Celtics’ 106-99 win over Dallas in Game 3 that gave Boston a 3-0 lead in the series, Brown looks like the leader if the Celtics can finish off the win.
BetMGM BET UP TO $1,500! BONUS BET REFUND AFTER A LOSS
STATES: AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MI, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21 years of age or older to wager. MA Only. New Customer Offer. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets. Bonus bets expire 7 days from issuance. In Partnership with MGM Springfield. Play it smart from the start with GameSense. GameSenseMA.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org. US Promotional Offers not available in New York.
Brown, who was already a leading candidate after two games, had his best performance of the series. He had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, all series highs. The eight assists were the most he’s ever had in a playoff game.
He had nine of Boston’s 21 points in the fourth quarter to help them hold on and helped wear Luka Doncic down defensively.
Other candidates:
Jayson Tatum — In totality, Tatum had a very good game and his 31 points, six rebounds and five assists were a big reason the Celtics won. But he wasn’t nearly as good in the second half with 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting.
If the Mavericks make history:
Dallas is still alive until it is not, so with that in mind, it the Mavericks pull off a miracle, there are candidates:
Luka Doncic — Doncic’s numbers are still outstanding after compiling 27 points, six assists and six rebounds despite fouling out. He’s averaging 29.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in the three games so far.
Doncic came into the series as the runaway favorite for the award if Dallas won. He’s been their best player so if the Mavericks pull off the impossible, he’d be the likeliest to win.
Kyrie Irving — Free from the Boston fans at TD Garden, Irving played like a superstar again. He had 35 points and made four of his six 3-pointers. If Dallas makes a comeback, he’d have to be a key piece of it.
Falling off:
Kristaps Porzingis —He was the leader after Game 1, but his injury ends his chances.
Jrue Holiday — Holiday needed to follow up his big Game 2 with more big numbers in Game 3 to have a chance as a dark horse. He had a solid, but quiet, nine-point game.
