Could the world be on the verge of an Andre Iguodala situation?
Though he may not quite have stuffed the stat sheet on Thursday night, Boston Celtics All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday quietly put himself on the board as a potential sneaky role player contender for Finals MVP honors this year.
A one-and-done UCLA Bruin in 2008-09, Holiday has carved out a terrific, lucrative niche for himself as one of the great perimeter defenders and veteran leaders in the modern NBA. The 6-foot-4 pro, a two-time All-Star and six-time All-Defensive Teamer , submitted modest individual numbers in his team's lopsided 107-89 home defeat of the high-flying Dallas Mavericks.
But for folks who were paying attention, Holiday was one of the more essential components of his club's attack. Holiday quarterbacked the team's incredibly impressive perimeter defensive effort, stifling superstar guard Kyrie Irving into a miserable 6-of-19 shooting night from the field, for just 12 points and a game-worst -19 plus-minus. Holiday was everywhere, even at the basketball-advanced age of 33, often hounding Irving for all 94 feet of TD Garden. The former UCLA standout could be the key to helping Boston achieve its record-breaking 18th league title, and its first since 2008 .
He has an outside shot at notching an Andre Iguodala-esque Finals MVP award, though surely Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and even Kristaps Porzingis — all of whom put up gaudier numbers on Thursday — would be favored.
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