As we inch closer to the end of the NBA Finals, the conversation around the Finals MVP title is heating up. As the Celtics are 3-1 in the series so far, the top FMVP contenders are all from one team. Recently, Bobby Portis Jr. made an appearance on the Run It Back show where he was asked by Lou Williams about his pick for the honor. Without showing any hesitation, Portis Jr. said that he thinks Jrue Holiday is the one who deserves it the most.
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Williams said that usually, the Finals MVP title goes to someone from the winning team. As of now, the Boston franchise has a higher chance of winning the series against the Mavericks. So, in that equation, he asked Portis Jr. who is most deserving of the title after four games. He said, “Jrue Holiday. Shoutout to Jrue Holiday…If Jrue wasn’t on the team, they don’t win no championship this year.”
Even though it’s a tall claim for a team that has Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Portis Jr. believes that no one has contributed more to the 3-1 lead than Holiday. He said, “Jrue’s just different, man. He locks guys up. He raises guy’s awareness on the defense, when you play with him, he just makes you lock in a different way.” The 29-year-old said that he is speaking from experience since they were teammates in Milwaukee for three years.
.@TeamLou23: “Who’s your Finals MVP so far?”@BPortistime: “Jrue Holiday… If Jrue wasn’t on the team, they don’t win no championship this year.” 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/gQ2ZOUNkCh
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) June 17, 2024
Of course, Portis could be biased, having played with Holiday on the Bucks. But he isn’t alone in thinking this. Even NBA.com has the veteran defender at no. 1 on the FMVP ladder, with Luka Doncic a close second. Such is Holiday’s impact, that the last time he joined a team, he helped them win a title in his first year there. His departure from Milwaukee in the offseason raised eyebrows, and the way the season has panned out, maybe Milwaukee was wrong to let him go.
Jrue Holiday’s Finals series so far
The two-time All-Star has had a special outing in the Finals series so far. In the first four games, he is averaging 14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists. But this is a special case when the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Holiday is a brilliant two-way player who gives his team an edge over the opposition.
Take his Game 2 performance for example. Holiday scored 26 points, with 11 rebounds, 3 assists, one steal, and a block in 41 minutes of playing time. He shot 2-2 from the charity stripe, 78.6% from the field, and 50% from the three-point line. League insider Mark Medina recently said that Holiday has had the ‘biggest imprint’ on the Finals.
He even included Holiday’s star teammates Brown and Tatum in the discussion while making that statement. As for the stats, both Brown and Tatum have managed better numbers than Holiday. According to Stat Muse, Tatum is averaging 20.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists while Brown’s average is at 20.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.
