DALLAS — The Celtics’ lopsided blowout loss in Game 4 of the NBA Finals did two things to the race for the Bill Russell Trophy.
1. If the Mavericks complete a miraculous comeback and win the series, Luka Doncic is now a huge favorite to take home the honor.
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2. It gave Jayson Tatum’s candidacy a little boost.
Doncic, after coming under heavy criticism for his defense and complaining to officials in Game 3, filled up the stat sheet again. He had 29 points, five rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes giving him averages of 29.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists. If he stays on that pace, nobody will care how bad his defense is. His numbers will be too big to ignore.
Tatum gets a boost because while he was meh, Jaylen Brown was ugh. Brown is still the favorite because he’s been better in the wins, but if it comes down to stats
Tatum had 15 points (4-for-10), five rebounds and three assists before joining the rest of the starters on the bench for the entire quarter. Brown shot 3-for-12 and had 10 points, two assists and one board.
Other candidates:
Jaylen Brown — He’s been the Celtics’ best player in three wins and leads them in scoring. He’s still the favorite.
Kyrie Irving — Irving continued his resurgence after a rough first two games. He had 21 points, six assists and four rebounds. He’s running from the back at the point, but for a Maverick to win, the series has to have three more games so he’s got some room to close.
