The Boston Celtics winning the NBA title has felt like an inevitability since their Game 3 win in Dallas. The burning topic since this victory has not been whether the Mavericks could mount a historic comeback, but rather which Celtic should win the Finals MVP award. And so, Jayson Tatum‘s case has been a hotly debated subject, but his mature response to the questions earned plaudence from Isiah Thomas.
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Ahead of Game 5 in Boston, Tatum dismissed the notion that he’d be upset if he lost out on the award to one of his teammates. He named several Hall of Famers who didn’t always win it, claiming his only focus is winning a ring, just like them. He told ESPN’s Malika Andrews,
“Isiah Thomas didn’t win Finals MVP every time. Tim Duncan didn’t win Finals MVP every time. Larry Bird. Steph Curry only has one. Kobe won two out of five championships. As a competitor, you want to win and accomplish everything in front of you, absolutely. But I would not be the slightest bit sad, you know, that I didn’t win Finals MVP. I would be ecstatic just to win the Finals.”
Tatum’s words of wisdom impressed Thomas, who praised the Celtics superstar’s attitude towards the award on X, writing,
“Wise winning words from Jayson Tatum. He has studied and knows the championship history of this game. Let it be Known team players WIN.”
Wise winning words from @jaytatum0 he has studied and knows the championship history of this game. Let it be Known team players WIN.. https://t.co/1iUabU6xEn
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) June 17, 2024
All hope is not lost for Tatum in the race for the Finals MVP, as he could still pip Jaylen Brown to the award with a massive performance. The forward would probably need a huge scoring night to usurp his teammate, which calls for a selfish approach.
However, Tatum has already dismissed the possibility of veering away from the Celtics’ win condition just to boost his own stats.
Jayson Tatum is not tempted to focus on scoring to boost Finals MVP odds
Following the Celtics’ Game 2 win, Jayson Tatum was asked whether averaging only 17 points through the first two games would prompt a change in approach from pass-first to shoot-on-sight in Game 3. Per CBS News, the forward responded,
“We’re so close to what we’re trying to accomplish, why would I let my ego or my need to score all the points gets in the way of that? If I need to have 16 potential assists every single night and that’s what puts us in the best position to win and it doesn’t mean I’m the leading scorer, by all means, if that gives us the best chance to win, sign me up.”
In Tatum’s first six seasons with the Celtics, the team has made it to the Eastern Conference Finals or beyond on four occasions, yet, has failed to win the title this far. In his seventh, they’re as equipped to win it as they’ll ever be and the superstar likely won’t let his desire to win the Finals MVP hinder it.
