Jaylen Brown has the ability to break out against Miami, and Jimmy Butler continues to improve his numbers in the playoffs.
NBA recently Introduced new lineup of playoff hardware Two important additions are sure to spark debate as we progress in the upcoming Eastern and Western finals.
The league added the Finals MVP trophy, named after Magic Johnson (Western Conference) and Larry Bird (Eastern Conference), two major players who raised the NBA in the 1980s.
With the Western Conference finals matchup finalized, starting with Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday, followed by the Western Conference finals opener Wednesday, we take a look at the six candidates most likely to leave with this new hardware.rather than as we are Kia’s MVP ladderwe’ll list these potential Finals MVP candidates from each conference in alphabetical order.
You should also keep an eye out for our upcoming NBA Finals MVP ladder dropping in June:
Eastern Conference
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Playoff stats: 22.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists
Don’t sleep on Brown’s ability to heat up in a hurry. Back on Jan. 1, the 2021 All-Star scored a career-high 50 points against the Orlando Magic, including 24 in the fourth quarter and overtime, for the Celtics. Seventh player in team history to reach 50 points.Miami can’t just lock Jayson Tatum in the Eastern Conference finals because the small forward has enough chemistry with Brown to get a routine find the shooting guard Used to highlight reel connections. Brown had seven total steals in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, and he has 17 total in 11 playoff games in 2022.
Tatum, Brown pick up and -1 oop
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
playoff stats: 28.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists
It’s interesting to note that the Heat finished 11 playoff games with five different scoring leaders, but what you need to understand is that the Butler of playoff mode is a different beast. I do not think so? Well, compare this guy’s regular season numbers to his playoff performance. Butler’s scoring average increased by 7.3 points and rebounds by 1.7, and his steals increased from 1.65 in the regular season to 2.1 in the playoffs. The six-time All-Star also improved his shooting percentage from 43 percent in the regular season to 52.5 percent in the playoffs, and from 23.3 percent to 36.4 percent from three.
Jimmy Butler takes over, Heat end Game 6 with Sixers
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Playoff stats: 28.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists
You can expect Miami to devote all its resources to stopping Tatum, which may prove fruitless based on the young star’s 46-point performance in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks. According to StatMuse, Tatum is tied for second with the Celtics in a knockout game.Tatum is simply break through defenses Like warm butter.Even two-time Kia MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo took notice, and All the best to Tatum After Boston knocked Milwaukee out of the playoffs. Tatum scored 17 of his 23 points in Game 7 in the first half against the Bucks and went 5 for 5 to start the game.
Western Conference
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Playoff stats: 26.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists
The Golden State Warriors have won 20 of their past 22 playoff series, and Curry is one of the main reasons. In the Western Conference semifinals against Memphis, Curry averaged 26 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting 41.3 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from the field and 89.2 percent from the free-throw line.Eight-time All-Star, Curry ends semifinals with 31 pointsstone 20+ career postseason points, usually Hit all the big shots We have great expectations for future Hall of Famers. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Curry made at least one 3-pointer in each of Golden State’s 10 playoff games, extending his NBA playoff record for 3-pointers to a streak. 122 games.
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Playoff stats: 31.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists
The 23-year-old Doncic, the second-youngest player in NBA playoff history, had 35 points and 10 rebounds in Game 7, following his 14 gamesth A career 30-point playoff run in Dallas’ win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.you can expect a lot sick cross From three-time All-Star games against the Warriors in the Western Conference finals, like the one he did over Cameron Johnson in Phoenix, he just screamed “viral content.”Even Dirk Nowitzki, the greatest player in Mavericks history, made sure worship He paid tribute to Doncic after the lights out in Dallas’ Game 7 win over the Suns.
How will the Warriors defend Luka?
Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Playoff stats: 20.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists
The Warriors are back in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2019, and Thompson appears to be getting back on his feet as a member of the league deadliest shooter. The five-time All-Star averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals in the semifinals and finished with 15.th Over 30 points in career playoffs. Thompson made eight 3-pointers in a game four times, tying Ray Allen, Curry and Damian Lillard for the most in NBA history. Thompson’s reputation in Game 6 is also legitimate. He averaged 28.1 points and 6.1 3-pointers per game in the last seven games of Game 6.
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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com.you can email him herefind his profile here then follow him Twitter.
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