LeBron James and Nikola Jokic will battle for Finals berth, as well as Conference Finals MVP hardware.We’re one season into the NBA’s latest assortment of postseason hardware, and only one of the winners of a 2022 Conference Finals MVP trophy heads to the next round in Jayson Tatum, who led Boston to a 112-88 win Sunday over Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The NBA last season added the Magic Johnson (Western Conference) and Larry Bird (Eastern Conference) trophies, named after the two of the main players from that era responsible for lifting the league’s popularity. The NBA’s esteem only continues to soar with this new batch of stars ready to carry the mantle into the future.
The conference finals matchups are finally set after the Celtics win over the Sixers to finalize the East bracket. The high-stakes battles tip off with Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday (8:30 ET, ESPN) at Ball Arena, followed by the Eastern Conference finals opener Wednesday (8:30 ET, TNT) from TD Garden.
Here’s a look at the six candidates most likely to win Conference Finals MVP trophies. Instead of ranking the players the way we did all season in the Kia Race to the MVP Ladder, we’ll list each of them alphabetically. Also make sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming NBA Finals MVP Ladder, which launches in June.
Eastern Conference
For the third time in four years, Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler will clash for the Eastern Conference title.
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Postseason stats: 24.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.4 apg
The second-leading scorer in Boston’s Game 7 win, Brown tallied 25 points to go with six rebounds, two steals and two blocks, joining Kevin McHale as the only other player in franchise playoff history to average at least 24 points on 54% shooting or better in a single postseason. Brown thus far has scored the fifth-most postseason points in the NBA (320). At the ripe old age of 26, Brown has also already played in seven Game 7s in his career, saying, “seven is my favorite number.” Seriously though, that big-game experience should come in handy against a gritty Miami Heat squad led by the indefatigable Jimmy Butler.
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Postseason stats: 31.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.4 apg
Leading just the second No. 8 seed to reach the conference finals, Butler has scored 20 points or more in nine of 10 postseason outings so far, dropping a 40 piece in a franchise-record eight career playoff games as the Heat rolled to a cumulative record of 7-1 in those contests. While the Celtics pose a formidable challenge, it’ll be tough to bet against a well-rested Butler and an experienced Heat squad returning to the conference finals for the third time in the last four seasons. A five-time All-NBA selection and the team’s leading scorer in every game he’s played this postseason, Butler embodies the grind mentality that Miami carries into high-stakes competition.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Postseason stats: 28.2 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 5.2 apg
Tatum left the TD Garden floor to a rousing standing ovation after hunting Kia NBA MVP Joel Embiid relentlessly in the second half of a Game 7 record 51-point performance on Sunday. The 25-year old took control in the third quarter, leading the Celtics on a 28-3 run that blew open what had been a close contest. Tatum fired true on 17 of his 28 attempts while tacking on 13 rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals with no turnovers. Tatum became the third player in Boston franchise history to produce 40 points or more in a Game 7, joining Sam Jones (47) and Paul Pierce (41) after a Game 6 in which he missed 14 of his first 15 shots.
Western Conference
Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis’ war in the paint could decide the Western Conference.
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Postseason stats: 21.2 ppg, 14.1 rpg, 3.3 bpg
Davis closed out the Western Conference semifinals with his second 20-rebound performance of the playoffs and sixth for the season, but faces stiff competition on the glass in the conference finals battling against Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic. Davis owns a record of 4-1 against Jokic in the postseason and a 14-11 record against the two-time MVP in the regular season. The matchup with Jokic presents what should be the most physical series Davis has seen thus far in the playoffs. In Game 1 of the semifinals against Golden State, the 30-year-old became the second player in NBA history behind Tim Duncan to record 30-plus points, 20-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and four-plus blocks in a game.
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Postseason stats: 23.4 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 5.3 apg
Astonishingly, James has won 41 playoff series in his career, which ranks as the most in NBA history. In Game 4 of the opening round of the playoffs, the 38-year old became the oldest player in league annals to produce a 20-point, 20-rebound performance in a regular season or postseason outing, besting Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain, who set the previous mark in 1973 at the age of 36. A well-rested James is coming off his first 30-point game of the postseason and holds the NBA playoff record with 119 games of 30 points or more. James’ teams are 10-1 in conference finals series.
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Postseason stats: 30.7 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 9.1 apg
The Lakers knocked Jokic and the Nuggets out of the 2020 Western Conference Finals in the NBA bubble, and while the supporting casts of both teams look vastly different, the core pieces remain unchanged. “It’s funny, me and [James] talked about it earlier, about going back and watching that series and see what we did to figure out how we can best match up and get victories over them,” Davis said. Lakers coach Darvin Ham is certainly bracing for what lies ahead facing a back-to-back MVP coming off a Western Conference Semifinals series in which he averaged a 34.5-point triple-double. Jokic, Russell Westbrook and James are the only players in NBA history to average a 30-plus point triple-double in a postseason series.
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