Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Cameron Tabatabaie

Jayson Tatum wins inagural Larry Bird Trophy as the Eastern Conference finals MVP

The Boston Celtics are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time in twelve seasons. Led by a rookie head coach in Ime Udoka, this is a miraculous outcome for a team that was at one point 23-24. A huge part of Boston’s in-season turnaround was the impressive rise of Jayson Tatum. An All-Star turned bonafide MVP candidate, Tatum helped the Celtics roar their way through the East and on to the NBA championship series.

It was an especially grueling battle in the Conference finals against the Miami Heat. Two well-polished defenses made for physical, sometimes grueling play. At the same time, Jimmy Butler — who went for 47 points in Game 6 — did all he could to help his Heat team make its own return to the Finals.

At the end of the day, however, it was the Celtics who won the series and a trip to the Bay to face the Golden State Warriors. Buoyed by Tatum’s epic performance, Boston persevered. The former Duke Blue Devil won a bit of hardware as a result.

This season the NBA premiered two new Conference finals’ most valuable player awards. In the East, the best player in that round wins the Larry Bird Trophy. It couldn’t be more fitting that the inaugural award was handed to Tatum.

Congratulations to Tatum and the Celtics!

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.