Jalen Brunson holds the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award, the Larry Bird Trophy, after the New York Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 in May 2026. There is no Eastern Conference Finals MVP market for the 2026-27 season yet, and the closest market, the East title, has the Knicks favored at +340 at DraftKings.
The award has gone to a player from the East’s NBA Finals team in all five years it has existed. That makes the East winner board the nearest market to this award until one is posted. The season opens on October 20, 2026, and the Knicks host the 76ers that night.
How Brunson won the 2026 award
| Game | Date | Result | Brunson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 19, 2026 | Knicks 115, Cavaliers 104 (OT) | 38 points, 6 assists |
| 2 | May 21, 2026 | Knicks 109, Cavaliers 93 | 19 points, 14 assists |
| 3 | May 23, 2026 | Knicks 121, Cavaliers 108 | 30 points, 6 assists |
| 4 | May 25, 2026 | Knicks 130, Cavaliers 93 | 15 points, 5 assists |
Brunson scored 102 points in the four games, 25.5 a game, with 31 assists and 13 rebounds, and he shot 38 of 78. His 38 in the overtime win in Game 1 was the highest single-game total in the series.
Donovan Mitchell outscored him. Cleveland’s guard had 109 points, 27.3 a game, and Cleveland still did not win a game. Karl-Anthony Towns had 48 rebounds in the four games, and Mikal Bridges scored 74 points on the way to the sweep.
Brunson went on to win NBA Finals MVP as well, after the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 4-1, closing it out 94-90 in San Antonio on June 13, 2026.
Eastern Conference Finals MVP winners
| Season | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Jalen Brunson | New York Knicks |
| 2024-25 | Pascal Siakam | Indiana Pacers |
| 2023-24 | Jaylen Brown | Boston Celtics |
| 2022-23 | Jimmy Butler | Miami Heat |
| 2021-22 | Jayson Tatum | Boston Celtics |
The NBA introduced the Larry Bird Trophy and the Western Conference’s Magic Johnson Trophy in May 2022. Five winners have come from four teams, and Boston is the only team with two.
The 2026-27 East winner board
| Team | Odds | Implied chance |
|---|---|---|
| New York Knicks | +340 | 22.7% |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +380 | 20.8% |
| Boston Celtics | +550 | 15.4% |
| Detroit Pistons | +800 | 11.1% |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +900 | 10.0% |
| Miami Heat | +950 | 9.5% |
| Toronto Raptors | +1000 | 9.1% |
| Indiana Pacers | +1400 | 6.7% |
These are DraftKings prices on ESPN’s 2026-27 futures board, read on September 25, 2026. The season is still to be played, and all 15 East teams carry a price, from the Knicks down to the Brooklyn Nets at +50000.
The implied chance is 100 divided by the price plus 100. A team’s price to win the East is not the price of its best player winning the Larry Bird Trophy, which is a smaller chance again, because only one player on the winning team gets it. A bet is worth making only when you rate the chance higher than the price does.
Where to go next
The West’s award is on our Western Conference Finals MVP odds page and the next round’s on our NBA Finals MVP odds. The title board is on our NBA championship odds, and the games from opening night are on our NBA predictions hub, with the season in our NBA betting guide.