Duke basketball superstar lands another Finals appearance, snubbed from MVP

It has been quite the journey to get back to the NBA Finals for Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum.

His play and leadership abilities were criticized. Some said he couldn't be the best player on a championship team.

But one year after losing Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on his home floor, Tatum has the Boston Celtics back in the NBA Finals after a sweep of the Indiana Pacers, which was culminated with another 4th quarter comeback on Monday night and nearly a triple-double.

The former Blue Devil finished the night with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists in the 105-102 victory on the road. He's averaged at least 21.8 points per contest in each of the first three series this postseason for Boston.

Now, he will await his next opponent which will likely be his former Celtics teammate, and Duke standout, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks, who hold a 3-0 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.

However, despite Tatum's strong play in the series, he did not win the Most Valuable Player. Jaylen Brown, who averaged 29.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in the series, won the award.

Brown had the game-tying shot in Game 1 which forced overtime. He would score 40 points in Boston's blowout victory in Game 2 of the series and 29 points in the series clinching win.

Tatum averaged 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists with two 36-point efforts in Games 1 and 3.

The 5-time NBA All-Star was named as the Eastern Conference Finals MVP in 2022 before the Celtics fell to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals.

Jayson Tatum won't be back on the court for a while as the NBA Finals will not begin until Thursday, June 6, but Boston is hoping that the extended rest will prepare them for winning its 18th title in franchise history.