Luka Doncic and Jaylen Brown have massive respect for each other after battling in the 2024 NBA Finals.
The Boston Celtics overcame the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 to win the 2024 NBA Championship, with Jaylen Brown being named Finals MVP. Brown’s impact on the series was more than just offense, playing smothering one-on-one defense on Luka Doncic for most of the series. The pair exchanged a few words after the series ended, with both sharing their love for each other.
Brown could be seen playing a brand of aggressive defense whenever he was matched up with Doncic, and the numbers show how impactful Brown was as a defender.
In the 154.4 possessions in the Finals where Brown was responsible for guarding Doncic, the Mavericks scored just 131 points for an offensive rating of 84.8. Over the five games. Brown guarded Luka for over 32 minutes and the Slovenian scored just 21 points on 40.9% from the field along with registering five turnovers in the matchup.
This was the most consistent individual matchup in the series, as other players would still submit to the Mavs switch-heavy offense. Jaylen made sure Doncic was uncomfortable whenever he had the ball and didn’t switch off him unless it was absolute necessary.
Doncic averaged 29.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in the series, while Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. Even though Jaylen didn’t have the same statistical production as his teammate Jayson Tatum, his defense on Luka should be the prime reason why he edged out Tatum to win Finals MVP.
It’s absurd how the Dallas Mavericks went to the NBA Finals in a season where most preseason predictions had them as a play-in team but are still getting clowned by fans. Luka Doncic had the best season of his young career to not only carry the Mavs to a 50-win record despite a series of injuries to guys like Kyrie Irving, but is being criticized for not being a winner.
Losing in the Finals hurts, but this Mavericks squad was outmatched by the Celtics. Doncic knows the Mavs have a lot of reasons to be happy for how they played this season, sharing his positive mindset after Game 5.
“I feel great. We made some great moves. I would say we’ve been together for five months. I’m proud of every guy that stepped on the floor, all the coaches, all the people behind [the scenes]. Obviously, we didn’t win the Finals. But we did have a hell of a season. And I’m proud of everyone.”
Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists in the regular season before 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in the Playoffs.
The injuries he played through in the postseason affected his production, efficiency, and defense, but he was still the clear engine behind the Mavs Playoff run. Coming back to this stage in the West is not easy, but Doncic’s presence will make the Mavs a perennial threat.
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