The Larry Bird Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player is Jayson Tatum. (0:27)
The Larry Bird award was given to the most valuable player in the NBA Eastern Conference finals.
One of the most important performances of his career was delivered by Tatum, who scored 26 points, grabbed 10 rebound and added 6 assists in 46 minutes, as the Celtics beat the Miami Heat 100-96 in Game 7. When the Celtics needed them, Tatum made big plays and averaged 24.8 points, 8 rebounds and 5.5 assists.
He was different because of his consistency throughout the series. In the final moments of Game 7, he hit several big jumpers and made strong defensive plays against the Heat star, as he delivered in key moments. After the series finale, the two teams shared a hug and a handshake at center court.
With the Bird trophy under his belt, Tatum has finally delivered the Celtics to the NBA Finals, where he has a chance to cement his Boston legacy. Game 1 is in San Francisco.
While the Bird award was earned by Tatum, it was his performance that might last longer. He averaged 24 points, 6.7 rebound and 3.8 assists in the series, and came into the defining contest with 35 points, nine rebound and nine assists.
The series was made even more impressive by the fact that he missed the second half of Game 3 because of knee issues, and that he dealt with knee issues off and on throughout the last week. The series was won by the Heat because of the will of Butler. In the first game of the series, he racked up 41 points, 9 rebound and 5 assists in 41 minutes. In Game 6, with the Heat on the verge of elimination, Butler played arguably the best game of his career, scoring 47 points, grabbing 9 rebound and dishing out 8 assists in front of a rowdy Boston crowd to lead the Heat into Game 7.
In the end, it was Tatum who got the best of the Heat, and got some revenge for Miami's victory in the 2020 Eastern Conference finals.
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