Jaylen Brown praises Jayson Tatum’s ‘selflessness’ after winning NBA Finals MVP

Jaylen Brown capped off a stellar postseason by taking home hardware in two consecutive series. Brown first won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and was then named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after the Boston Celtics finished off the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 to take home the title.

While Brown was more than deserving of the award after averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists over the five-game span, he was also quick to praise his teammates. Following Boston's impressive 106-88 series-clinching victory on Monday night, Brown stated that the NBA Finals MVP award could have gone to any of his teammates, specifically praising Jayson Tatum's selflessness, as Zack Cox of NESN detailed.

“It could have gone to anybody. I could have gone to Jayson. I can’t talk enough about his selflessness," Brown said of the NBA Finals MVP award.

The 27-year-old has constantly praised his fellow star, and Tatum had a strong case for the award as well. After being named First-Team All-NBA this season, Tatum put together his own stellar stretch of postseason play and showcased his entire arsenal of skills, averaging 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game against the Mavericks.

Tatum's passing stood out during the series, as the Mavericks put a high level of focus on attempting to slow down the 26-year-old. The same can be said for Brown, who not only stepped up big offensively, scoring 21 or more points in four of five games, but also taking on the task of being the primary defender on Luka Doncic often, including throughout much of Game 5.