On Wednesday, Game 5, the Boston Celtics won over the Cleveland Cavaliers with a score of 113-98 to win their second-round playoff series 4-1. They are now in the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth time in the previous eight seasons.
After Boston’s 113-98 win, Draymond Green asked Jayson Tatum whether the Celtics’ consistency has caused voters to overlook him come awards time, including for MVP.
Jayson Tatum: “We can worry about the individual awards later down my career, but this year just trying to get that championship.” 🏆 pic.twitter.com/4wbhvsvWNE
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 16, 2024
Tatum’s stress on team success rather than individual accolades, the five-time All-Star responded the “only thing that matters is getting that big trophy.”
The Golden State Warriors forward question,
“Do you feel like the success that ya’ll have had has hurt you as far as MVP voting and things go and not getting over the hump? Do you think they’re penalizing you for that?”
Tatum replied,
“That’s not for me to decide. Everybody has their job. The voters vote for who thinks they should win MVP. Jokic rightly deserved it this year. At this point in the season, all the awards are voted on. The only thing that matters is getting that big trophy. We can worry about the individual awards later down my career, but this year, just trying to get that championship.”
In Game 5, he ended with 25 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and four steals while shooting 9/16 from the field and 3/7 from the three-point range in 43 minutes of playing time.
Tatum was placed sixth in the overall voting and conceded the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić was the rightful recipient of this year’s MVP.
Coming off a season averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 47.1% from the field and 37.6% from the three-point range in 74 games.
