Imago
Image courtesy: Imago
Imago
Image courtesy: Imago
The Celtics have won the ECF and did what most people expected them to do with the help of the star duo. The MVP of the finals was Jaylen Brown despite reports of being not marketable. And majority of the spotlight from media and fans has been on Jayson Tatum throughout the season. Both the Jay’s performed extremely well during the ECF. Yet the 4x NBA champion has cautioned the Celtics #0 and compared the situation to Kobe Bryant.
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The former Philadelphia 76ers teammates Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner had a lot to discuss on their ‘Point Forward’ podcast recently. Analyzing standout player performances and the financial impact of sweeps. Tatum averaged 30.3 points and Brown collected 29.8 points during the four-game clash against Indiana. The #7 was outstanding in the series, averaging 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game. He also came up with the clutch game-tying three-pointer in Game 1 forcing overtime which ultimately Boston won.
Turner spoke about Tatum winning individual awards back-to-back would elevate him to another stratosphere. Especially if he wins the Finals MVP and the Gold medal in the Olympics. Iguodala felt like Tatum’s focus shouldn’t be on individual awards, his mindset should be on winning the games. Then he alluded to Kobe Bryant’s finals performance in 2004.
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“I think we’ve seen at times folks try to draw back towards to the 2004 finals where Detroit beat the Lakers. And, you know, I’ve heard folks draw towards Kobe was trying to get finals MVP so bad they end up almost getting swept…”
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The Lakers legend’s display in the 2004 finals has been criticized by many for his apparent selfish act. So, Iguodala suggests not to chase personal goals during the finals. But what happened during the 2004 final?
Kobe Bryant was not a team player?
Brown is often considered the second fiddle or the Robin to Jayson Tatum’s Batman. It’s mainly due to the individual awards both of them have collected over the years. In his eight-year NBA career, Brown has 3x All-Star selections and 1x All-NBA team while Tatum has won 5x All-Star selections, 4x All-NBA team selections, and an All-Star Game MVP.
In this series, the duo have shouldered the responsibility equally. Tatum averaged 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists and was considered a favorite to win the Larry Bird Trophy. Bryant’s drive to win more individual awards is what angered many of the Lakers’ teammates.
Kareem Rush, former teammate of Bryant, spoke to Scoop B Radio in 2020. “I mean, they simply outplayed us. Karl was hurt in that series. And I think Kobe selfishly wanted MVP. I think that we were favored by everybody to win the series you know, and at the time Shaq had the first three Finals MVPs. So I think Kobe had the mindset with that as the primary focus, but I think he was really itching to get that MVP – and we got caught off guard by a better team.”
Boston though is a franchise that only hangs championship banners. So Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum would like to add their first this year. And hope to finally bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to the franchise.
Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.
Written by
Edited by
Deepali Verma