Choosing the best player in each postseason in NBA history

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In the NBA, there is a regular season MVP and a Finals MVP, but no award for the best player of the postseason, which is odd if you think about it. Hell, we even had a bubble MVP that one time.

No worries, though, because we are here to right that wrong by naming a Playoff MVP for every postseason dating back all the way to the BAA days. There’s a bit of overlap between Finals MVP and our pick for Playoff MVP but there are also many years in which our Playoff MVP pick didn’t even see his team win the championship.

With so many players to discuss and so many Playoff MVP awards to hand out, let’s get right to it.

(You can go to the bottom of the page to see how many times each legend is selected).

2022: Stephen Curry (Golden State)

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Playoff stats: 27.4 ppg, 5.9 apg, 5.2 rpg and 39.7 3P% in 22 games
Playoff record: 16-6, NBA champion

Earning the accolade his legacy was missing, Stephen Curry took home Finals MVP honors thanks to his contributions in the 2022 championship series, a 4-2 victory over the Boston Celtics in which he averaged 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists. Curry’s most impressive performance of that playoff run came in Game 4 of the Finals with Golden State down two games to one. Curry responded that night by going off for 43 points and 10 rebounds on nearly 54 percent shooting from the floor.

Runner-ups: Jimmy Butler, Luka Doncic

2021: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee)

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Playoff stats: 30.2 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 5.1 apg and 56.9 FG% in 21 games
Playoff record: 16-7, NBA champion

Many might forget that our Playoff MVP for 2021, Giannis Antetokounmpo, actually suffered a scary knee injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, only to come back by Game 1 of the Finals to dominate the Phoenix Suns over a six-game series victory for the Milwaukee Bucks. Antetokounmpo’s most pristine performance of that playoffs actually came in his final outing, Game 6 against Phoenix, when he exploded for 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks on his way to winning Finals MVP.

Story continues

Runner-ups: Chris Paul, Kawhi…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/playoff-mvps-choosing-best-player-213502296.html?src=rss

Author : Hoops Hype

Publish date : 2023-05-07 21:35:02

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