Jayson Tatum Thought People Picking The Mavericks To Win The NBA Finals Were Trolling

Jayson Tatum thought media members were trolling when they picked the Dallas Mavericks over the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals.

The Boston Celtics cruised to the 2024 NBA Championship after defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the Finals, with the upstart Mavs outmatched in the series. Netflix's new show 'Starting 5' shows Jayson Tatum visibly confused as to why many experts were picking the Mavericks to win the NBA Finals, deeming it as trolling but taking solace in the fact that he could be the underdog.

“People have their own opinions. I didn't know if, for lack of better terms, they were trolling. Slightly disrespectful takes about me or about what I've accomplished or what they think I can or can't do, or they really thought that the Mavs were gonna beat us. I guess it felt good to be the underdog. First time in a while.”

Tatum isn't wrong as the final ESPN predictions did have more analysts saying the Mavericks would win the Finals over the Celtics. This was a little bizarre, as the same analysts had predicted the Mavs would lose to the Los Angeles Clippers, OKC Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves in prior matchups.

Maybe overcoming that level of competition against all odds is what made the analysts pick the Mavericks at the moment, especially because of the unspectacular path the Celtics took to the Finals, beating three injured teams up until then.

The Miami Heat didn't have Jimmy Butler, the Cleveland Cavaliers would lose Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen during the series, and the Indiana Pacers would be without Bennedict Mathurin.

The Mavericks had beaten opponents of a much higher caliber to get to the Finals, which skewed how analysts were treating them at that moment. Anyone with basketball sense should've been able to spot the juggernaut Celtics defense would be impossible to overcome for the Mavericks' relatively one-dimensional style of play.

Even though the ESPN analysts picked the Mavericks over the Celtics, Tatum said that he was an underdog heading into the series is just dishonest. He was the odds-on-favorite to win Finals MVP before the Finals, a quest he failed in after averaging 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in 5 games in the 2024 NBA Finals. on 38.8% from the field, leading the award to be given to Jaylen Brown instead.

It Wasn't Jayson Tatum's Time To Win Finals MVP

Jayson Tatum might have been happy to become an NBA Champion finally, but failing to rise to the expectations of winning Finals MVP definitely stung the star, especially after he also lost the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy to Brown in the previous round.

Tatum isn't worried about how the 2024 Finals will affect his 'legacy,' claiming it wasn't his time to win MVP, sharing more superstar examples to support his argument.

"It just wasn't my time. I'm not the only superstar to not win Finals MVP. Steph Curry got 4 rings and he only has one. Isiah Thomas didn't win every time, Larry Bird didn't win Finals MVP every time he won the championship."

"The most important thing was that we won and I know I played a huge role in us winning a championship. And I know that [Jaylen Brown] played his butt off and that we needed [Kristaps Porzingis] for game one... we needed everybody. For me, I was happy for [Jaylen Brown]... I was happy we won and I know that I'm gonna win Finals MVP one day."

The Celtics are expected to be contenders for years to come, so Tatum will definitely have more opportunities to secure the elusive Finals MVP trophy to solidify his name as an all-time NBA great.

Was this article helpful?

Yes

Jayson Tatum Thought People Picking The Mavericks To Win The NBA Finals Were Trolling

Related articles