BOSTON — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in the building, but the MVP chants were not for him.
They rained down from the TD Garden rafters each time Celtics forward Jaylen Brown took the free-throw line in a 119-109 win over Gilgeous-Alexander’s reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. He took the stripe a lot — a game-high 14 times in total — en route to 31 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, outperforming the NBA’s returning regular-season and Finals MVP.
Brown even beat Gilgeous-Alexander at his own game, baiting him into a foul — and the bucket — midway through the fourth quarter. Brown was all smiles; all SGA could do was shake his head. He has, after all, made a nice living out of forcing opponents into compromising positions.
“I guess that was a little payback,” said Brown.
Of course, Brown has a Finals MVP award of his own. He also made an All-NBA Second Team as Jayson Tatum’s co-star in 2023. We knew he was good. Just didn’t know he was this good. In the absence of Tatum, who ruptured his right Achilles last May, Brown kept the Celtics in the hunt, performing at a level that warrants his consideration on ballots for MVP and All-NBA First Team.
“We all knew he could do it,” said Tatum.
Not like this. We figured him for a second option on a title team, because we have seen him do it before in 2024, but after Wednesday’s convincing win over the Thunder we have to ask: Can Jaylen Brown be the best player on a team that wins the championship this season?