2024 NBA Finals: Jrue Holiday does a little bit of everything as Boston grabs 2-0 series lead

BOSTON — If the rest of the league has one regret through two games of the NBA Finals, it is a question the Milwaukee Bucks must ask themselves daily: How did we let the Boston Celtics acquire Jrue Holiday?

He was available from the Portland Trail Blazers for a moment, when the Bucks discarded him in favor of Damian Lillard, and the Celtics pounced, dealing Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III and a pair of first-round draft picks on training camp’s eve. Nine months later, Holiday is a leading Finals MVP candidate.

Two days from his 34th birthday, Holiday logged team highs of 26 points and 11 rebounds Sunday night. He made 11 of his 14 shots. Defensively, he drew Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić late, wearing down both. He did it all in a 105-98 win against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, staking Boston to a 2-0 series lead.

“I credit the victory to him tonight,” Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown said.

Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics shoots against P.J. Washington of the Mavericks during the second quarter in Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 9, 2024, in Boston. (Photo by Peter Casey – Pool/Getty Images)

Jayson Tatum was the first to welcome Holiday onto a team that had reached this stage two years earlier. Everyone else soon followed suit. All the Celtics credit Holiday’s selflessness — his willingness to accept a role smaller than his stature — for setting a tone that permeates the locker room. Winning over anything.

“He could easily have come in and been like, ‘I’m Jrue Holiday,'” said Celtics teammate Derrick White, who delivered Sunday’s game-saving block, “and I would’ve been like, ‘Yeah, you are Jrue Holiday — 100%.'”

Instead, there was no ego, and in its place are championship habits. Holiday was Milwaukee’s point guard and primary ball stopper on a title team. In Boston, he leaves the point guard duties to White. He defers to Tatum and Brown, whom he calls “superstars.” He takes a backseat to Kristaps Porziņģis on some nights. Defensively, he guards every position, much like Marcus Smart, the man he ultimately replaced in Boston.

“I think when you sacrifice together…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-06-10 13:10:31

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