Bill Simmons didn’t hide where he stands on one of the more debated Finals MVP calls in recent memory: he thinks Jayson Tatum should have taken the 2024 award, not Jaylen Brown.
On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, the Ringer founder said Brown “should not have won Finals MVP,” and he went a step further by calling the result “ridiculous.” Simmons also argued that the voting setup should be expanded beyond a small panel.
“One of my things that I would change about the NBA is more than five people should vote on the Finals MVP. You should not be able to win Finals MVP by a three-to-two vote.
Have 15 people. You have a million reporters there.”
The numbers, though, show Brown won by more than that. The Finals MVP vote was 7-4, with Brown taking seven of the 11 votes and Tatum getting the other four after Boston beat the Dallas Mavericks in five games.
Brown’s case was built on strong all-around production. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in the series, while shooting 44.0% from the field and 23.5% from three.
Tatum’s stat line was louder in some areas: 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. But his efficiency dipped, as he shot 38.8% overall and 26.3% from beyond the arc.
Simmons later softened his wording on X, saying he “shouldn’t have said ‘ridiculous,'” while sticking to the larger point that Tatum should have won, especially because of what he did in Game 5.
“I shouldn’t have said ‘ridiculous,'” Simmons wrote. “But I thought Tatum should have won and said it at the time - esp. after what he did in Game 5.
I’m always gonna think the best guy on a champ should win Finals MVP unless something insane happened. 2007 Duncan, 2010 Kobe, 2015 Curry Etc.”
In the closeout win, Tatum finished with 31 points on 11-for-24 shooting, plus eight rebounds, 11 assists, and two steals.
Brown, though, had already done major damage early in the series. He averaged 24.3 points on 55.1% shooting over the first three games, helping push Boston out to a 3-0 lead. He faded a bit after that, but by then the Finals were essentially decided.
He also spent much of the series doing the dirty work defensively against Luka Doncic. That’s part of why Brown had a real argument for the trophy, even if Simmons would have handed it to Tatum.
The conversation around Brown has only gotten messier since then. He was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers by the Celtics this summer, and he has been frustrated by media reports that followed. Brown was also stunned by the criticism of his character, while Simmons has now said he wishes Boston hadn’t dealt him.
Boston’s decision, according to president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, came down to the difficulty of building around two players who were eating up 70% of the cap. In that sense, the Celtics effectively chose Tatum over Brown.
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