NBA Finals: The Greatest Finals MVPs of all time
First Published Jun 9, 2022, 2:00 AM ISTA new NBA Finals MVP will be crowned in a few days, but here’s looking back to some of the greatest finals performances ever
A new NBA Finals MVP will be crowned in a few days, but here’s looking back to some of the greatest finals performances ever
The NBA Finals MVP is the accolade given to the player who has the best performance in the Final. The prize has accurately been named after Bill Russell, who won 11 championships and would’ve certainly collected many more NBA Finals MVP trophies had the award existed before 1969. Over the years, we have seen some sensational finals series performances that have led to the Finals MVP. Here are some of the best:
Jerry West, 1969: The first iteration of the Finals MVP award was the only time a player from the losing team won the accolade. Despite losing the series in seven games, Jerry West gave it his all: a 53-point performance in Game 1 and a 40-point triple-double in Game 7. West averaged an absurd 37.9 points per game along with 7.4 assists to win the NBA Finals MVP.
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Magic Johnson, 1980: In 1980, at just 20-years-old, Magic Johnson became the youngest player ever to be named the NBA Finals MVP. Johnson had a tremendous first-finals series averaging 21.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 8.7 assists. However, the game that stood out was the closeout road Game 6, where the Lakers were missing key center and star player Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Johnson started the clinching Game 6 as his team’s center despite commonly serving as the team’s point guard. Johnson would rotate playing through all five possible positions during the game to earn 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists in a title-winning performance.
Michael Jordan, 1993: Michael Jordan would win the third of his six championships in 1993 as the Bulls would defeat the Phoenix Suns, led by MVP Charles Barkley. Jordan would collect the highest average per game in the NBA Finals, with 42 points per game.
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Shaquille O'Neal, 2000: In the 2000 NBA Finals, Shaquille O Neal dominated the Indiana Pacers by averaging 38 points and 16.7 rebounds across six games. For one of the only times in NBA history, O’Neal led each finals game in scoring.
LeBron James, 2016: After Game 4 of the NBA 2016 Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers were down 3-1, a deficit no team had ever overcome in the Finals. Yet, in the final three games, James was unstoppable. He scored 41 points each in Games 5 and 6 before capping off the series with a triple-double in Game 7. He led every major statistical category for the series, something no other player has ever done in the playoffs. And on top of all the statistical excellence, James crafted his signature play, “The Block”. The victory also ended Cleveland’s title drought across all major professional sports, stretching back to 1964.