NBA Finals MVP Odds: Can Jaylen Brown Seal the Deal?

The NBA Finals might nearly be over. After a grueling journey through the Western Conference Playoff bracket, the Dallas Mavericks have fallen to an 0-3 series record to the surging Boston Celtics. Boston and its star-packed lineup have a chance to close things out on Dallas' own home turf in Game 4 on Friday.

With the series drawing to a potential close, now's a good time to check in on the FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA Finals MVP Odds and see how the market feels about which stars are dominating the court so far. If Boston can close it out on Friday, which one of their stars will win this year's MVP honors? Or can the Mavericks mount an all-time comeback and claim an MVP of their own in the process? Let's check out the NBA Finals Betting Odds market and find out how bettors are feeling about the series.

NBA Finals MVP Odds

Jaylen Brown (-340)

Was Jason Kidd right? Is Jaylen Brown really the Celtics' best player?

Whether that is truly the case or if Kidd was attempting to create friction within the Celtics' lineup, Brown had absolutely been the star of the show through the first two games of the Finals.

Across the whole series, Brown is leading the Celtics in points per game (24.3) while rocking a strong 115 Offensive Rating (ORtg). He has been much more consistent than his counterpart, Jayson Tatum, throughout the series -- Brown's steady scoring kept the Celtics ahead of the Mavericks even while Tatum shot 37.5% and 27.3% from the field in Games 1 and 2, and he dropped a 30-burger of his own in Game 3 even with Tatum bouncing back offensively.

Brown's offensive output stacks up favorably compared to his teammate's, but he has also been a game-changer on defense, often being tasked with covering Luka Doncic -- no easy task. Doncic was the most prolific scorer in the NBA this season and has been on point as a shooter in the postseason.

Doncic averaged 32.4 points per game in the Mavericks' takedown of the Minnesota Timberwolves -- by several metrics the best defense in the league -- in the Western Conference Finals. In the NBA Finals, Brown and Boston have kept him to a more manageable 29.7 points per game thus far. Brown's tough defense and physical offense even pushed Doncic to foul out of Game 3, essentially closing the door on the Mavericks' near comeback.

If Brown can keep playing as well as he has been and the Celtics can wrap this up before they head back to Boston, he should end up winning this year's coveted Finals MVP award.

Jayson Tatum (+270)

Entering Game 3, it was starting to feel like Tatum didn't have a real chance of winning Finals MVP this year. But after his strong performance on Wednesday, did he throw his hat back in the ring?

The star was uncharacteristically inefficient in the first two games of the series, to the degree where his teammates really carried him. Tatum shot 47.1% from the field during the season and understandably dipped to 44.2% in the Celtics' first three postseason series. In Games 1 and 2 of the finals, though, he shot just 31.6% and contributed just 34 total points in those two wins. Brown in particular was truly outshining him.

Fortunately for Tatum -- and his Finals MVP odds -- he remained productive in other areas of the game even while his shooting fell short. With Kristaps Porzingis limited and/or fully sidelined, Tatum has been playing closer to the boards on defense. He's become a high-volume rebounder, leading the team with 26 through Game 3, and is still distributing the ball to hotter hands with a team-high 22 assists. And since his rough Game 1, in which he coughed the ball up to the Mavericks six times, he's given up just five combined turnovers over the last two games.

If Tatum can put together a huge game to win the Celtics their first ring since the 2007-08 season, he could gain a lot of ground on Brown's perceived lead. With five postseason 30-point games already under his belt, a sixth here to win it all could be what it takes to win him an NBA Finals MVP award.

Luka Doncic (+2900)

The NBA Finals MVP award has only ever been given to a player on the losing team once in the history of the league -- that player was Jerry West, who became the first-ever recipient of the award while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1969 as they fell to the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series.

To be blunt, betting on Luka Doncic to win the Finals MVP award means you either think we're going to see something that hasn't happened since the award's inception, or that the Mavericks are going to become the first team in NBA history to mount a comeback from an 0-3 start to the series.

If the Mavericks do manage to make history, Doncic would be a near surefire lock for the Finals MVP award. Considering that the Mavericks are currently listed with +2200 series odds, betting on Doncic to win MVP at +2900 odds might just be a better value than betting on Dallas to pull off the comeback.

Even with the Mavericks falling apart, Doncic has still averaged a series-best 29.7 points while recording 9.0 rebounds (most in the series) and 6.0 assists (second-most) a night. He's the engine of Dallas' offense, making it hard to envision any other player on the team earning MVP honors if they do manage the comeback.

Jrue Holiday (+6500)

Of the four players with realistic odds to win the NBA Finals MVP award, Jrue Holiday's are by far the longest. But should we be giving the veteran guard some more respect for what he's doing on the court so far this series?

Notably, Holiday has not committed a single turnover. He is shooting 59.4% from the field and 41.7% from three, essentially the best marks on the team. Only Tatum has nabbed more total rebounds than Holiday has so far, while Holiday's 9 offensive rebounds are the most any player has on either team.

Holiday doesn't get the same usage rates that his teammates do, but the efficiency with which he has played so far has arguably been the glue keeping the whole thing together this series. When Tatum struggled to a 27.3% FG rate in Game 2, Holiday picked up the slack and led the team with 26 points.

Fittingly, Holiday has an absurd 156 ORtg through three games. His 47 total points might rank just fourth on the team, but he's having the kind of series that demands respect. The real question is whether or not his efficiency will be noticeable enough by the end of Game 4 for his chances to win the Finals MVP to eclipse those of his teammates.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.