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The Boston Celtics disposed of the beat-up Indiana Pacers in one of the more competitive sweeps you'll ever see, finishing the Eastern Conference Finals in four games following Monday's 105-102 victory.
And that earned Jaylen Brown the Larry Bird Trophy as the series MVP.
The 27-year-old was fantastic in the series, averaging 29.8 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals per game. He put up 40 points in Game 2, a day after he was snubbed for All-NBA honors, and his game-tying three-pointer in Game 1 forced overtime, a contest the Celtics would go on to win.
NBA @NBAWatch EVERY ANGLE of Jaylen Brown's WILD 3-pointer to send Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to overtime!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAConferenceFinals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAConferenceFinals</a> presented by Google Pixel <a href="https://t.co/FCvVApOmpR">pic.twitter.com/FCvVApOmpR</a>
NBA @NBA"Welcome to the NBA Playoffs... the game is not over until the final buzzer sounds."<br><br>Jaylen Brown on the Celtics not losing belief when needing a 3 at the end of regulation đź’Ż<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAConferenceFinals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAConferenceFinals</a> presented by Google Pixel <a href="https://t.co/n0Z1ZaEU2p">pic.twitter.com/n0Z1ZaEU2p</a>
That three was arguably the signature moment of the entire series.
Brown is often considered the Robin to Jayson Tatum's Batman, but in this series the duo were more of a split billing. Tatum would have been a viable option for the Larry Bird Trophy in his own right, averaging 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists, and the pair proved to be far too formidable a duo for the Pacers—and every other team they've faced in these playoffs—to overcome.
Granted, the Celtics have had a fairly easy path to the NBA Finals in general, dismissing the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Pacers in a combined 14 games. All three teams were dealing with significant injuries in those matchups, though Celtics fans will quickly point out that Kristaps Porziņģis hasn't played since the opening round.
He'll likely be needed to win a title, with the dangerous Dallas Mavericks—and two of the best late-game closers in the sport, Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving—potentially awaiting them if they can pull of their own sweep of the Minnesota Timberwolves. If Porziņģis isn't ready for the start of that series, Brown, Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Al Horford will need to all step up in a major way.
But Boston's title hopes still primarily fall on the shoulders of Tatum and Brown. The Celtics need them to be just as dynamic as they were in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Boston is a tough team to beat when both are firing on all cylinders.
