‘Two world-class players’ – Doncic and Irving star as Mavericks seals NBA finals place’Two world-class players’ – Doncic and Irving star as Mavericks seals NBA finals place
The Celtics were not in the lead as late as the final minute in three games during the Pacers series, yet their clutch mentality saw them emerge with a 4-0 victory.
On Tuesday evening, Indiana held a nine-point advantage during the fourth quarter, and were on level terms with 43 seconds remaining, until a Derrick White three finally saw Boston nip ahead.
That bucket saw them go 105-102 up on the road – a scoreline they held onto. Jason Tatum missed a three with eight seconds left to potentially open the door, but Jrue Holiday cleaned up.
Tatum put up a double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds, but it was Brown who again led the way with 29 points. He also had six rebounds, three steals, the game-winning assist and one block – also a crucial one, to deny Andrew Nembhard with a minute left.
White poured praise on Brown post-game after seeing his teammate lift the Larry Bird Trophy, as Boston won the conference for the second time in three years.
The former San Antonio Spurs guard said: “He’s unreal. He was unreal when I got here, but the great thing about JB is he’s gotten better every single year he’s been in this league, which is testament to his hard work and dedication.
“He was unreal this whole series, on both sides of the ball. A complete player, which you don’t really see much these days. I love being his teammate.”
Holiday added: “It’s even better because he didn’t expect it. That really means that it didn’t matter to him – it was about winning, whatever it took.
“When you see great people get rewarded for the things they do, it brings joy. I’m super excited for him. He’s been First-Team All-NBA the whole season – I wish he got that, but to see him get this award is big time.”
The Celtics have been the standout team throughout 2023/24, seven wins ahead of any other side in the regular season. Their last shot at the big one came two years ago, when Brown shone by leading the team in scoring in every game but in vain, during a 4-2 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Boston now have nine days to recover before their NBA Finals adventure begins. In the meantime, game four of the Mavericks against the Timberwolves takes place in the early hours of Wednesday morning UK time, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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