Tag: larry bird east finals mvp

Boston’s Jayson Tatum opens up about winning the first Larry Bird East finals MVP award

The Celtics superstar shared his thoughts on the honor postgame Sunday.

While it very nearly could have gone the other way, it was fitting that the very first Larry Bird Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player award went to Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and the team the Bob Cousy Eastern Conference Finals trophy after the Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in Game 7 on Sunday night.

The former award, named for the Celtics legend Tatum is stepping into the shoes of as the team’s small forward superstar, could have ended up in the hands of Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, who presumably would have gotten more than the single vote for the hardware had his late 3-pointer carried the Heat to an improbable victory.

Tatum shared his thoughts on the award postgame, calling it “an honor” to be the premier recipient of the award.

Jayson Tatum wins inagural Larry Bird Trophy as the Eastern Conference finals MVP

Jayson Tatum is the winner of the 2022 Eastern Conference finals Larry Bird Most Valuable Player award, taking home the inaugural trophy.

The Boston Celtics are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time in twelve seasons. Led by a rookie head coach in Ime Udoka, this is a miraculous outcome for a team that was at one point 23-24. A huge part of Boston’s in-season turnaround was the impressive rise of Jayson Tatum. An All-Star turned bonafide MVP candidate, Tatum helped the Celtics roar their way through the East and on to the NBA championship series.

It was an especially grueling battle in the Conference finals against the Miami Heat. Two well-polished defenses made for physical, sometimes grueling play. At the same time, Jimmy Butler — who went for 47 points in Game 6 — did all he could to help his Heat team make its own return to the Finals.

At the end of the day, however, it was the Celtics who won the series and a trip to the Bay to face the Golden State Warriors. Buoyed by Tatum’s epic performance, Boston persevered. The former Duke Blue Devil won a bit of hardware as a result.

This season the NBA premiered two new Conference finals’ most valuable player awards. In the East, the best player in that round wins the Larry Bird Trophy. It couldn’t be more fitting that the inaugural award was handed to Tatum.

Congratulations to Tatum and the Celtics!

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Which Celtics player would most deserve the Larry Bird East finals MVP?

The award could realistically end up being fittingly given to a Celtics player — but who has the best claim on it if they do win?

The very first Larry Bird Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award could very conceivably end up being awarded to a member of the team that Hall of Famer played for with the Boston Celtics currently up 3-2 over the Miami Heat in the 2022 Eastern Conference finals.

But as poetic as that might end up being, there has to be a specific Celtics player to award it to in a series that has seen several Boston players make major contributions. All-NBA star swingman Jayson Tatum has been the team’s defensive engine for all but one contest, and fellow star forward Jaylen Brown a critical source of points as well. Big men Al Horford and Robert Williams III have both been key defensive backstops, while veteran point guard Marcus Smart an absolute warrior playing through not one but two sprains at the same time.

Which Celtics starter most deserves the award, should Boston be in a position to win it?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast recently debated this contentious issue with comedian and Celtics fan Gary Gulman. There’s certainly more than one good option — which argument do you favor?

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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