Boston Celtics

In just his fifth NBA season, Jayson Tatum has led the Boston Celtics to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010, only adding to what has been an impressive young career for the budding superstar. 

Tatum was awarded the inaugural Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award on Sunday after leading the Celtics to a 100-96 Game 7 win over the Miami Heat, but do fans think he deserved to take home the honor?

It certainly seems so. 

In a poll on the Bleacher Report app, fans picked Tatum as the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals, beating out Jaylen Brown, Jimmy Butler and some of the other impact players in the series, such as Bam Adebayo and Al Horford. 

Tatum received 54 percent of the vote, while Butler received 37 percent and Brown received 7 percent. Nearly 14,000 fans participated in the poll. 

Tatum has played well throughout Boston's run to the NBA Finals and played a significant role in the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami, averaging 25.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.1 steals in seven games.

In Game 7, he finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 46 minutes. He had at least 22 points in six of Boston's seven conference finals games against Miami, with his only poor performance coming in a 10-point outing in a Game 3 loss. 

The 24-year-old has really elevated his game over the last three seasons and is becoming more and more of a complete player as the days go by. 

That said, Butler was also as effective for Miami as Tatum was for Boston, averaging 25.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game in the conference finals. The 32-year-old also had two 40-plus-point games, though he wasn't as consistent as Tatum.

In a Game 3 win over Boston, Butler had just eight points, though he did leave that game early with knee inflammation. However, he followed that up with just six points in Game 4 and 13 points in Game 5, which were both losses for the Heat. 

Butler finished Game 7 with 35 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal, but he was criticized for missing a potential go-ahead three pointer with under 17 seconds to play. He shot just 23.3 percent from three in the regular season. 

Moving on to Brown, he was also responsible for much of Boston's success in the conference finals, averaging 24.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. However, he didn't have a chance to win ECF MVP with both Tatum and Butler on the floor. 

The Boston Celtics are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, and Marcus Smart knows the team will be prepared to face the Golden State Warriors once the championship round begins on Thursday. 

After beating the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday, Smart told reporters the Celtics are ready to rise to the challenge against the Warriors.

No matter what adversity is put in front of us, no obstacle, no loop, we're going to get through it, we're going to get over it, we're going to get around it. That was just how we live our lives on the court. We really, truly believe that. We know we're going up against a great team with the Warriors, great players, great organization. They have the track record to prove it. They know exactly what it takes. They've been here. They're vets. We know we've got a long road in front of us, but we're up for the challenge.

The Celtics' road to the NBA Finals wasn't easy. 

While the C's swept the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs, they still had to face some of the league's best in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Then in the semifinals, Boston faced arguably its toughest challenge in Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending-champion Milwaukee Bucks. 

The Celtics defeated the Bucks 109-81 in Game 7 at TD Garden thanks to a sensational 27-point outing from Grant Williams along with a dominant defensive effort.

Then came the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami, where the Celtics defeated the Heat in Game 7—their first road victory in a Game 7 since the 1974 NBA Finals. Smart finished Game 7 with 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Jaylen Brown added 24 points, six rebounds and six assists. Tatum led the Celtics with 26 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block. 

The challenge will be much greater against the Warriors in the NBA Finals as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green aim to win their fourth championship in eight years. Aside from those three, the Dubs have also received impressive performances from Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney this postseason. 

The Celtics and Warriors split their 2021-22 regular-season meetings. The Warriors defeated the Celtics at TD Garden on December 17, and Boston beat Golden State on the road on March 16.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for Thursday night at Chase Center in San Francisco. 

Ime Udoka led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first season as head coach, but that was only made possible by other teams passing on him first.

Following the Celtics' 100-96 win over the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday to advance to the NBA Finals, Udoka divulged that he finished second in numerous head-coaching searches before the Celtics hired him this past offseason.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Udoka said:

"The one thing I would say is the disappointment of coming in second a few years really hurt. But if you told me I'd have to wait for Boston and get [bypassed] by some of the ones that I got beat out on, it's a no-brainer for me. I'm happy to be in Boston. ...

"You really want me to tell you? Detroit, Indiana, Cleveland. I can go down the list. That was tough because I believe I was ready. But I couldn't be more proud to be a part of an organization that's pushing for winning and championships. You can be in a lot of different situations. There are only 30 teams and I get that, but to not be in a rebuild and being in an expectation pressure-filled situation, I wouldn't trade that in any day."

The Detroit Pistons most recently hired a new head coach in 2018, the Indiana Pacers made coaching changes in 2020 and 2021, and the Cleveland Cavaliers hired John Beilein in 2019 before replacing him with interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and removing the interim tag from Bickerstaff in 2020.

Meanwhile, Udoka patiently waited his turn and served as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs from 2012 to 2019, the Philadelphia 76ers from 2019 to 2020 and the Brooklyn Nets from 2020 to 2021.

In addition to his experience as an NBA assistant coach, Udoka played in the league for seven seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Spurs and Sacramento Kings, averaging 5.2 points in 316 career games.

Udoka paid his dues both as a player and a coach until the ideal opportunity became available this past offseason when Brad Stevens stepped down as Celtics head coach and became the organization's president of basketball operations.

The 44-year-old Udoka took over a Celtics team with some question marks regarding whether it could contend for a championship, but there was a strong foundation in place.

Boston had reached the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons entering the 2021-22 campaign, and it had a young, talented core led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Coming off a 36-36 season that saw the Celtics lose to the Nets in the first round of the playoffs, there was chatter about whether Boston should trade one of Tatum or Brown.

Instead, the Celtics stayed the course and both players had huge years, plus Marcus Smart was named Defensive Player of the Year, Robert Williams enjoyed a career year and veteran Al Horford had a resurgent season.

With Udoka leading the way, the Celtics shook off a slow start to the 2021-22 season, earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and went the distance in the playoffs.

Now, Boston heads into the NBA Finals where it will face a Golden State Warriors team looking to win its fourth NBA championship in the past eight seasons.

Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown dealt with widespread speculation earlier in the season about potentially splitting them up, but Tatum said that only motivated the players to stick together:

"Saying we need to split the group up, get rid of somebody or me and JB can't play together... that fueled us."@jaytatum0 talks about how outside noise motivated the Celtics to come together @tvabby pic.twitter.com/liCFBrmEFG

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 30, 2022

"Instead of separating, we became closer," Tatum said of his relationship with Brown.

Boston is headed to the NBA Finals after defeating the Miami Heat in seven games, but it struggled earlier in the season and had an 18-21 record in January. Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com reported Brown could seek a trade if things didn't turn around.

During the team's early season struggles, Brown was asked whether the partnership with Tatum could work. 

"I think we can play together," Brown told reporters in January. "We have played together well for the majority of our career and things like that. The last year or so hasn't gone as expected, but I think a lot of the adversity that we're kind of going through now is going to help us grow and get better in the future."

Brown and Tatum have spent five years together on the Celtics, each earning All-Star selections in 2020-21. The team was still disappointing last year, finishing 36-36 before a first-round playoff loss.

After another slow start, questions grew about whether this duo could be leaders on a title team.

Despite the outside noise, the Celtics reportedly had "no interest' in splitting up Tatum and Brown, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. 

Boston stayed the course, and the squad is now heading to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.       

After a surprisingly easy trip through the Western Conference playoffs, the Golden State Warriors are favored to win the NBA title over the Boston Celtics.

According to Fanduel, the Warriors are listed at -160 for the upcoming seven-game series ($160 bet to win $100). The Celtics are +130 ($100 bet wins $130) after defeating the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Boston has impressed during the postseason, especially defensively, but the team needed seven games to beat the Heat. That came after another grueling seven-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks in Round 2. The Warriors, conversely, have gone 12-4 in the postseason and knocked out the Dallas Mavericks in just five games during the Western Conference Finals.

The Celtics will have just three days of rest before Thursday's Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors will have been off a full week by that time.

Besides being fresher, the Warriors also enter the final round with significantly more experience at this level.

Golden State's core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson has already appeared in five NBA Finals together, winning three championships. 

Boston hasn't been to the finals since 2010, before most players on the roster entered the league.

Key players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have still competed in big playoff games during their careers, while Al Horford has 141 postseason appearances, but the pressure will only grow in the upcoming series.

Oddsmakers are also expecting stars Curry and Tatum to lead the way for their respective teams, making them the top options for Finals MVP:

• Stephen Curry (+120)

• Jayson Tatum (+175)

• Jaylen Brown (+1000)

• Draymond Green (+1400)

• Klay Thompson (+1500)

Curry is yet to win a Finals MVP in his three title runs.

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For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

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Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he studied one of the all-time greats ahead of Sunday's Game 7 win over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

According to Jay King of The Athletic, Tatum said he watched some film of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, adding: "Obviously, that was my idol, that was my inspiration, that was my favorite player. ... Today, before I took my nap, I do it sometimes, I was watching film and some moments from him and his career."

Tatum also divulged why he wore a purple armband emblazoned with Bryant's No. 24:

"Just to have something to show him in the biggest game of my career so far." 💜💛

Jayson Tatum discusses drawing inspiration from Kobe Bryant after winning the first-ever Larry Bird Trophy awarded to the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. pic.twitter.com/EIkMT6zqlD

— NBA (@NBA) May 30, 2022

"I got you today”

Jayson Tatum sent a message to Kobe Bryant before Game 7 ♾🐍 pic.twitter.com/mMkOPGGI1M

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 30, 2022

In a 100-96 victory, Tatum led the way for Boston with 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and he played 46 of 48 minutes, cementing his status as Eastern Conference Finals MVP.

With Sunday's clutch road win, Tatum and the Celtics now move on to the NBA Finals where they will face the Golden State Warriors.

Many young NBA players revere Bryant after watching him while growing up, and it's easy to understand why given everything the Hall of Famer accomplished.

Kobe spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, during which time he became the fourth-leading scorer of all time with 33,643 regular-season points.

Bryant earned 18 All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA nods, 12 All-Defensive Team choices, four All-Star Game MVP awards, two scoring titles and one NBA MVP award.

The postseason was where Bryant truly shined, though, leading the Lakers to five championships and earning NBA Finals MVP honors twice.

Playoff success largely eluded the Tatum-led Celtics during the early part of his career, but that changed Sunday, as he finally broke through with his first Finals appearance.

Tatum is averaging a Kobe-esque 27.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 3.2 three-pointers made during this postseason.

Now, the challenge for the 24-year-old will be keeping that up in the Finals against a stacked and experienced Warriors team led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins.

The Warriors have reached their sixth Finals in the past eight seasons and are in search of their fourth title during that time.

If Tatum can guide the Celtics to victory, it will mark their first championship since 2008, which fittingly came against Bryant and the Lakers.

The Boston Celtics are moving on to face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, but Jimmy Butler made them work till the final buzzer.

And after everything he'd put Boston through in Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics were surely holding their breath when he pulled up for three in a 98-96 game with 16.6 seconds left.

It felt like Tatum was waiting on a double that didn't come. Miami gets the stop. Jimmy Butler went for it. pic.twitter.com/E6kxaETlGQ

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) May 30, 2022

You may have felt the collective sigh of relief let out by Celtics fans after Butler came up short. You surely felt the tension that led up to that shot too.

Just over three minutes earlier, Boston was up 13. The game felt done, or at least close to it. But the Miami Heat weren't going to quit on their home floor. And an 11-0 run gave Jimmy his chance.

It was 98-85 before Kyle Lowry hit a mid-range jumper. A Max Strus dunk then cut the lead to single digits. With just over a minute left, Victor Oladipo got the rim and trimmed the lead to seven. Then Lowry scored again. And finally, Strus hit a dribble pull-up three going right that put Miami within one possession of the Finals.

wait. pic.twitter.com/qN6Z1EX3cZ

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) May 30, 2022

All 11 points in the run were scored by Heat players not named Butler. But make no mistake—there was no way Miami would have had the chance it did without him.

There's leaving it all on the floor, and then there's what Butler did for Miami.

After one of the greatest individual Heat playoff games of all time in Game 6–when he went for 47 points, nine boards, eight assists and four steals in 46 minutes–Butler played all 48 in Game 7. He had 35 points and nine rebounds, but the stat line doesn't begin to do him justice.

For prolonged stretches of the last two games (really, this entire playoff run), Miami's offense seemed entirely reliant on Butler. When everyone else stalled out, he almost always had a way (and the will) to get to the bucket, draw a foul or hit a pull-up jumper.

In 17 playoff games, he averaged 27.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.4 threes. He leads the NBA in playoff wins over replacement player, and it's not particularly close.

Butler carried the Heat to this point.

But this is 2022, when social media reactions feel as connected to the NBA as the traditional game recaps in newspapers used to be.

Even after everything Butler did throughout the postseason, particularly in Games 6 and 7 of this series, plenty of people couldn't help but wonder if he made the right call.

Locked on Heat's Wes Goldberg didn't "love the 3 at the end." Bleacher Report writer and former NBA video coordinator Mo Dakhil wrote, "Got to attack, this wasn't a good shot."

NBA.com's John Schuhmann shared video of a strikingly similar situation Butler found himself in as a Philadelphia 76er in 2019:

pic.twitter.com/tLEfion9pb

— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) May 30, 2022

Others were, uh, less tactful:

https://twitter.com/SCOTTlEBARNESS/status/1531112156686696448

Were there other options for Butler? Absolutely.

Dakhil and Schuhmann nailed one. Miami was in semi-transition, with only Al Horford and Jaylen Brown in position to deter Butler. He may have been able to get around Horford. If Brown came over to help, Oladipo may have been open for a kickout. In that situation, either Celtic may have been overzealous enough to commit a foul. Scoring with the clock stopped would've been huge for the Heat.

But there are a lot of "may haves" in there, and there are plenty of reasons Boston is headed to the Finals. Its team defense may be chief among them.

After playing 47 minutes and 43 seconds, there's no guarantee Butler had the burst or angle he wanted to get by Horford. Since January 1, few (if any) players had any answers against this unit. For the last two games, Butler had plenty. He'd demonstrated an ability to read, dissect and attack this defense.

If he'd made the shot, the internet would be loudly and unanimously celebrating the decision.

Gotta say "Butler would have gotten an And 1" Twitter is really illustrating just how results oriented some of you all can be.

— Haralabos Voulgaris (@haralabob) May 30, 2022

Butler was the best player on the floor this series, and he did more than enough to earn the trust of his team, his coach and an entire fanbase.

Riding momentum and with a chance to take the lead, he took his shot. And he spent the entire postseason earning the right to do so.

It feels fitting that the first Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy went to a member of the Boston Celtics.

Jayson Tatum took home the award Sunday after helping lead his team to a 100-96 victory over Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the back-and-forth series. Tatum finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal while hitting 4-of-7 from three-point range.

The first ever Larry Bird ECF MVP ...

𝑱𝑨𝒀𝑺𝑶𝑵 𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑼𝑴 🍀 pic.twitter.com/WF7qz7gjE3

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 30, 2022

The @celtics raise the Bob Cousy Trophy as the 2022 Eastern Conference Champions! pic.twitter.com/7NAWkQrLJK

— NBA (@NBA) May 30, 2022

It was not a unanimous decision, though, as Butler received a vote in the losing effort:

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is the recipient of The Larry Bird Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. pic.twitter.com/UK66P9cXd6

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 30, 2022

That Butler was recognized in such a fashion wasn't particularly surprising since it was his individual brilliance that gave Miami a chance after it fell behind 3-2 in the series.

He finished Game 6 on the road with 47 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals to keep his team's season alive and then responded with 35 points and nine rebounds in Game 7 to give the Heat an opportunity to win even though the supporting cast struggled.

Bam Adebayo was also impressive with 25 points and 11 rebounds, but the rest of the Heat outside the two stars shot a combined 12-of-43 (27.9 percent) from the field. Yet even with those shooting issues, Butler had a chance to be the hero with a three-point attempt in the final seconds with his team trailing by two, but it didn't fall.

That means Tatum will have an opportunity to play in the NBA Finals for the first time in his career as a result. 

The Celtics star scored 26 or more points in five of the seven games and averaged 25.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.1 steals a night throughout the series. He also shot 47.6 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three-point range.

The 24-year-old's resume now includes an Eastern Conference Finals MVP, three All-Star selections and two All-NBA nods. 

A Larry O'Brien Trophy is missing, but that may change if he plays at the same level in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.        

Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka stressed the importance of a strong start against the Miami Heat on Sunday in the matchup to determine the Eastern Conference representative in the NBA Finals.

When asked why the Celtics have a tendency to lose their composure, Udoka said the following during a news conference Saturday, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps:

A lot has to do with our starts and having to play catch-up the whole game. We understood the situation Miami was in last night and didn't play our best basketball in the first quarter defensively and offensively. Playing behind the eight ball most of the game. Although we got the lead late or tied it quite a few times, it felt like we were always in an uphill battle, shooting ourselves in the foot. We'd like to get off to better starts, put some pressure on the opponent when they're in that situation, similar to what we did against Milwaukee in Game 7. That's our mindset coming in. Obviously going into [Miami] we want to start better. We have confidence in going down there winning, too, but we have to get ourselves off to better starts, get ourselves easy baskets and not give them life early in the game.

The Celtics had a chance to put the Heat away Friday, but the visitors jumped out to a 19-9 lead and held an advantage for nearly the entire game. They won 111-103 behind 47 Jimmy Butler points.

The table appeared set for a Celtics win.

Boston won the previous two games by a combined 33 points.

The Heat were once again missing second-leading scorer Tyler Herro (strained groin), and Butler was in a major two-game slump (19 points on 7-of-32 shooting) after suffering a knee injury in Game 3.

Plus, the Celtics were in front of a raucous crowd hungry to watch the team earn its first NBA Finals berth since 2010.

However, the Heat set the tone thanks largely to 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in the first quarter by Butler, who finished with those 47 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals in 46 minutes. He stole the show and helped keep Boston at bay for the majority of the game.

The Celtics did take a 97-94 lead on Derrick White's three-pointer with 4:43 left, but Miami closed the game on a 17-6 run.

Boston will hope for a better start and result Sunday when it visits Miami for Game 7 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Despite falling to the Miami Heat on their home court in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night, the Boston Celtics and star forward Jayson Tatum are undeterred.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Tatum said his confidence is unshaken ahead of Sunday's decisive Game 7: "Scale of 1 to 10? Ten. I mean, it shouldn't be any less than that, right? You know, it's the last game. That's what it's all about. It's a 10-out-of-10 in my confidence level and the group."

With the Heat scoring a 111-103 victory in Game 6, the series will now shift back to Miami for Game 7, with the winners moving on to face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

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While the Heat led for much of Game 6, Boston took a 97-94 lead with 4:43 left and had Miami on the brink of elimination.

The Heat went on a 17-6 the rest of the way, though, to send things back home for a seventh and final game.

Perhaps the biggest difference for the Heat in Game 6 compared to their losses in Games 4 and 5 was the re-emergence of Jimmy Butler, who put the team on his back in a must-win situation.

After struggling mightily in the previous two games on the heels of suffering a knee injury in Game 3, Butler scored a game-high 47 points on 16-of-29 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

Veteran guard Kyle Lowry bounced back from some poor efforts as well, recording 18 points, 10 assists and four boards in the win.

Boston got 30 points out of Tatum, 20 points out of Jaylen Brown and a surprising 22 points off the bench from Derrick White, but it still wasn't enough to close out the pesky Heat.

A Celtics team led by Tatum and Brown has yet to reach the NBA Finals, whereas the Heat are just two years removed from their most recent NBA Finals appearance with Butler leading the way.

Also, Lowry was a key figure in the Toronto Raptors reaching and winning the 2019 NBA Finals, so the Heat undoubtedly have the edge in big-game experience.

Boston persevered after a slow start this season and established itself as one of the NBA's top teams, however, lending credence to Tatum's confidence.

On Sunday, Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals will emanate from FTX Arena in Miami at 8:30 p.m. ET.