The Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum won the first-ever Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP Award after helping his team to the Eastern Conference title with a dramatic win over Miami Heat. The contest, which went all the way to seven games, ended with the Celtics grabbing a late 100-96 victory over the Heat.
Tatum played a critical role in the Celtics’ narrow win, averaging 25 points, 5.6 assists, and 8.3 rebounds throughout the conference finals. He also played a crucial role in stabilizing Boston’s defense which exhibited vulnerability during the early stages of the season.
Prior to his game-changing performance against Miami, Tatum enjoyed a slew of memorable moments throughout the playoffs, which included shutting down Kevin Durandt during the 4-0 series win over the Brooklyn Nets and going up against Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo to pull the Celtics through to a 4-3 series win.
In addition to Tatum’s strong showing, the Celtics also showed a remarkable improvement in their performances throughout the season. Boston began the current season with an underwhelming 23-24 record before gradually climbing their way up to 2nd place on the Eastern Conference rankings.
