Jaylen Brown became the first UC Berkeley alumnus to win the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award after scoring 21 points as the Boston Celtics defeated the Jason Kidd-led Dallas Mavericks in five games.
In Monday’s 106-88 title-clinching win, Brown also had eight rebounds, six assists and two steals as Boston made quick work of Dallas.
In Game 1, Brown became the first Celtics player in Finals history to total 22 points, three steals and three blocks. Following a 21-point performance in Game 2, Brown totaled 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in Game 3.
Brown spent one season at Cal before being selected by the Celtics with the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. In 34 games, Brown averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, winning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.