Why Jayson Tatum should've won Finals MVP over Jaylen Brown

After the Boston Celtics secured their 18th NBA championship on Monday versus the Dallas Mavericks, star wing Jaylen Brown was named this year's Finals MVP.

Brown was in the driver's seat to earn the prestigious honor after his efforts proved instrumental to Boston taking a 3-0 series lead. However, Tatum did enough to close the gap and arguably even win the award with his performance in the Celtics' title-clinching Game 5 victory. 

Regardless, the dynamic duo known as "the Jays" isn't focused on individual accolades, evidenced by Brown's postgame comments:

Brown even paid tribute to Tatum, his "partner in crime," acknowledging that his co-star "was with [him] the whole way."

Despite Brown receiving seven of the 11 possible votes, we will make the case for Tatum being the Finals MVP.

Why Jayson Tatum should've won Finals MVP over Jaylen Brown

Tatum led the Celtics in total points, rebounds and assists during the series. The latter became the first player in NBA history to do so without being recognized as the Finals MVP for his performance. While the counting stats don't always necessarily paint the entire picture, this is a noteworthy metric, especially considering how unprecedented it is.

The anatomy of Finals MVP has typically favored the highest-scoring player on the winning team. Why should this instance be any different? 

Here is how the per-game averages between Tatum and Brown shook out against Dallas:

As you can see, Tatum's all-around numbers are better. Yes, Brown was a more efficient overall shooter and slightly more active defender, but the gap was insignificant.

Moreover, Brown posted the lowest player efficiency rating (PER) of any Finals MVP since "at least 1991," per RealGM (16.5). This enumeration sums up a player's contributions using one number. For comparison, Tatum recorded a 16.8 PER.

Ultimately, you're splitting hairs trying to decide between Brown and Tatum. Nonetheless, the latter has a more-than-reasonable case for being the more deserving candidate.

Almost a calendar year after signing the richest contract the league has ever seen, Brown proved to be well worth the price. He is the first player to win a Conference Finals and Finals MVP in the same season.

Hopefully, for Boston's sake, the Celtics return to the Finals sooner rather than later so Tatum can get another crack at the Bill Russell trophy. Unfortunately, it feels like he got snubbed. Either way, he is elated to celebrate hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy with his team.