Playoff MVPs: Superstar guards lead our pre-Finals update

The NBA Finals are here, with the Oklahoma City Thunder acceptable to look the Indiana Pacers for the 2025 NBA title.

With Oklahoma City beating the Minnesota Timberwolves and Indiana knocking disconnected the New York Knicks, it besides means that 14 playoff teams person been sent location for the summer, and we've seen a full assortment of prima performances implicit the past respective weeks.

So, for the 3rd clip successful these playoffs, here's our latest look astatine the superlative performers of this postseason, arsenic we fertile the apical 8 players done the archetypal 3 rounds up of the commencement of the title circular successful Oklahoma City connected Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

Previous rankings: First round | Second round

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

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SGA stars again to nonstop OKC to NBA Finals

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander puts up 34 points arsenic the Thunder easiness past the Timberwolves to implicit a 4-1 bid win.

2025 playoff stats (16 games): 29.8 PTS | 6.9 AST | 5.7 REB | 1.6 STL

The Thunder person been the NBA's champion squad each season, and Gilgeous-Alexander was honored a mates of weeks agone arsenic the league's regular-season MVP. He present finds himself successful the apical spot successful these postseason rankings too, aft averaging 31.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists successful OKC's five-game rout of the Timberwolves.

Gilgeous-Alexander has scored astatine slightest 30 points successful 11 of the 16 games helium has played this postseason, and helium reached that milestone successful each 4 of the Thunder's victories successful the Western Conference finals. If the heavy favored Thunder spell connected to triumph the NBA title, it's hard to spot a script wherever Gilgeous-Alexander doesn't adhd a Finals MVP trophy to his tally this play on with the Larry O'Brien.

Previous ranking: 4

2. Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers

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Tyrese Haliburton's double-double clinches Pacers' NBA Finals berth

Tyrese Haliburton drops 21 points and 13 assists arsenic the Pacers drub the Knicks to clinch an NBA Finals berth.

2025 playoff stats (16 games): 18.8 PTS | 9.8 AST | 5.7 REB | 1.4 STL

The impending matchup betwixt Gilgeous-Alexander and Haliburton is the champion constituent defender matchup successful the NBA Finals since the duels betwixt Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry during the legendary showdowns betwixt the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers from 2015 to 2018.

And if Indiana is going to propulsion disconnected the upset, it's going to request Haliburton to person much games similar his unthinkable show successful Game 4 of the league finals against the Knicks. He finished with 32 points, 15 assists and nary turnovers successful a comfy triumph that gave Indiana a 3-1 bid lead.

That past stat -- turnovers -- volition beryllium 1 of the cardinal battlegrounds successful this series. Oklahoma City's defense, the champion successful the league by a wide borderline this season, excels astatine turning teams over. Haliburton, connected the different hand, is the champion constituent defender astatine avoiding turnovers successful the NBA.

Previous ranking: 5

3. Jalen Brunson, Knicks

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Brunson's 32-point nighttime keeps Knicks live successful ECF

Jalen Brunson stands gangly for New York arsenic the Knicks flooded the Indiana Pacers successful Game 5 to support the bid alive.

2025 playoff stats (18 games): 29.4 PTS | 7.0 AST | 3.4 REB

While Brunson's defence was a occupation successful New York's nonaccomplishment to Indiana (and helium had a disappointing Game 6 to extremity the Knicks' season), there's nary denying his value successful starring the franchise to its champion play successful a 4th century. Brunson, the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year this season, averaged 30.7 points and changeable implicit 50% from the tract against the Pacers. That his show wide was seen arsenic a disappointment is indicative of the elevated presumption helium has reached arsenic a player.

Brunson's archetypal 3 seasons successful New York person already launched him into the apical 5 careers successful Knicks franchise history, and there's a beauteous dependable statement determination are lone 3 players -- each Hall of Famers -- up of him: Willis Reed, Patrick Ewing and Walt Frazier. Not atrocious institution for the erstwhile second-round prime whom New York signed arsenic an unrestricted escaped agent.

Previous ranking: 1

4. Pascal Siakam, Pacers

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Pascal Siakam's champion plays of the Eastern Conference Finals

Take a look astatine immoderate of Pascal Siakam's champion plays arsenic Eastern Conference finals MVP.

2025 playoff stats (16 games): 21.1 PTS | 5.8 REB | 3.3 AST | 46.3 3P%

The Eastern Conference finals MVP, Siakam -- who had 30 points successful 3 of the six games against the Knicks and averaged 24.8 crossed the bid -- has acceptable successful beautifully since arriving successful Indiana 18 months ago, powering the franchise archetypal to the league finals past twelvemonth and present backmost to the NBA Finals for the archetypal clip since 2000.

The symbiosis betwixt Haliburton and Siakam has played a immense portion successful the Pacers becoming the high-powered violative instrumentality they person been for the past mates seasons, particularly during these 2 playoffs runs. Matching that effort against the Thunder, however, is going to beryllium Indiana's biggest situation yet.

Previous ranking: NR

5. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

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Jokic's 44-point nighttime successful vain arsenic Nuggets suffer Game 5

Nikola Jokic scored 44 points to spell on with 15 boards, but the Nuggets autumn to the Thunder 112-105.

2025 playoff stats (14 games): 26.2 PTS | 12.7 REB | 8.0 AST | 2.0 STL

Surprised to spot Jokic present contempt Denver's nonaccomplishment successful the 2nd circular of the playoffs? Well, let's punctual you that the Nuggets had the Thunder connected the ropes successful Game 5 of the league semifinals, erstwhile they held an eight-point pb done 3 quarters successful Oklahoma City and looked acceptable to enactment OKC connected the brink of elimination for a 2nd consecutive year.

But though that didn't hap this time, Jokic's brilliance forced the Thunder to spell the region successful what could easy beryllium the closest immoderate squad comes to knocking Oklahoma City disconnected connected its mode to the title. That, coupled with Jokic's ever comical stats, inactive has him beauteous precocious connected this database adjacent though helium has been location for a mates of weeks already.

Previous ranking: 2

6. Jalen Williams, Thunder

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Jalen Williams carries Thunder successful large Game 4 win

Jalen Williams impresses with 34 points arsenic OKC beats the Timberwolves 128-126 to instrumentality a 3-1 bid lead.

2025 playoff stats (16 games): 20.4 PTS | 5.8 REB | 5.3 AST | 1.6 STL

Williams struggled for ample portions of Oklahoma City's second-round triumph implicit Denver, but helium came backmost and had a terrific West finals, shooting conscionable nether 50% from the field, 46.2% from 3 and averaging 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.0 steals.

One of the large questions astir Oklahoma City each season, successful presumption of its quality to contend for a title, was whether Williams could reliably measurement into the relation arsenic the secondary scorer down Gilgeous-Alexander connected a championship-level team. And portion that has been a conflict astatine times successful these playoffs, helium showed successful Game 4 of the Minnesota bid successful peculiar -- helium had 34 points successful possibly the finest crippled of his vocation to assistance the Thunder instrumentality a 3-1 bid pb -- that he's increasing into that spot close successful enactment with OKC's rubric window.

Previous ranking: NR

7. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

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Ant Edwards' 30-point nighttime helps Wolves instrumentality Game 3

Anthony Edwards notches 30 points with 9 rebounds and 6 assists arsenic the Timberwolves rout the Thunder successful Game 3.

2025 playoff stats (15 games): 25.3 PTS | 7.8 REB | 5.5 AST

Oklahoma City showed an due fearfulness of Edwards passim the West finals, sending swarms of defenders astatine him successful an effort to unit passes to his teammates and marque them bushed the Thunder instead. As a result, Edwards finished beneath 20 points successful 3 of the series' 5 games. That happened lone erstwhile crossed the opening 2 rounds of the playoffs.

Still, Edwards starring the Timberwolves to the league finals successful back-to-back seasons aft the franchise had lone 1 erstwhile bid triumph is an awesome accomplishment. The question present is what it volition instrumentality for some Edwards and the Wolves to drawback (and surpass) the Thunder, who present loom arsenic the existential menace atop the West for years to come.

Previous ranking: 3

8. Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks

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KAT's 20-point 4th 4th fuels Knicks' comeback win

Karl-Anthony Towns scores 20 points successful 4th to spark Knicks implicit Pacers successful Game 3.

2025 playoff stats (18 games): 21.4 PTS | 11.6 REB | 1.3 AST

Like Brunson, Towns enactment unneurotic monolithic stats successful the East finals, signaling 24.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per crippled portion shooting 50% wide and 36.7% from 3. But, similar Brunson, Towns struggled defensively and with foul trouble, which Indiana repeatedly took vantage of arsenic it dispatched New York and denied the Knicks a travel to the NBA Finals for the archetypal clip since 1999.

Towns' archetypal play successful New York has to beryllium seen arsenic a success, however. He was an All-NBA subordinate and earned his 5th All-Star quality portion helping the Knicks scope the league finals for the archetypal clip successful 25 years. But his defence volition request to improve, and the Knicks volition person to amended the roster astir him and Brunson if they privation adjacent play to extremity differently.

Previous ranking: NR