National Basketball Association

2024 NBA Finals bad beat: Jaylen Brown beats out Jayson Tatum for Finals MVP

Updated Jun. 18, 2024 10:53 a.m. ET

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Jaylen Brown bettors are on the right side of a bad beat once again.

The star wing took home Finals MVP after the Boston Celtics took down the Dallas Mavericks to win the title in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Brown actually entered Game 5 as the favorite to win Finals MVP, holding -235 odds ahead of tip-off.

However, Jayson Tatum emerged as the favorite as Monday's game progressed. Brown's co-star had his best game of the series, scoring 31 points with 11 assists, eight rebounds and two steals. 

As Tatum took over Monday's game, Brown didn't put up his best numbers of the series. He had 21 points on 7-of-23 shooting to go with eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Tatum appeared to have the momentum to win Finals MVP as the Celtics inched closer to clinching the title. His 16-point, nine-assist first half made him the betting favorite to win the award at halftime, holding -150 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook. 

Tatum's odds to win Finals MVP continued to shorten, closing at -550.

But moments after the Celtics were awarded the Larry O'Brien Trophy, Brown was given the Bill Russell Award for Finals MVP. Tatum received a handful of votes, but Brown edged him out, 7-4, among the 11 media members who were picked to vote on the award.

While Brown won Finals MVP, Tatum actually outperformed him in nearly every statistical category. Tatum led the team in points (22.2), rebounds (7.8) and assists (7.2) per game.

Brown wasn't too far behind though. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists per game. He shot better from the field than Tatum did in the series (44% to 38.8%) and often took on the task of guarding Mavericks stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Still, Brown seemed a bit surprised that he won Finals MVP.

"You know, it could have gone to anybody," Brown told reporters. "It could have gone to Jayson. Jayson, like I can't talk enough about his selflessness. You know, I can't talk enough about his attitude. It's just how he approached not just this series or the Finals, but just the playoffs in general. And we did it together as a team, and that was the most important thing."

Brown also took home the Larry Bird Award for MVP of the Eastern Conference finals after the Celtics' sweep of the Indiana Pacers in May. That win was even more of a bad beat for Tatum backers. Tatum's odds to win the award reached -2100 during the fourth quarter of the series-clincher in Game 4.

So, the bad beat for Tatum bettors isn't necessarily as bad this time around. But a bad beat still means you're not cashing that ticket.

Stay tuned to FOX Sports as the NBA postseason odds unfold!

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