He then delivered the finest Finals showing of his career with 43 points in Game 4 to tie the series at 2-2 and regain homecourt advantage.
He led all scorers with 34 points in Game 1, 29 points in Game 2 and 31 points in Game 3. Through four games, there was no doubt that Curry was the front-runner for Finals MVP. Let's not get carried away and lose sight of a very simple fact: Curry is the overwhelming favorite. While there's still a big gap between Wiggins and Curry for Finals MVP (more on that below), the Warriors wouldn't have a 3-2 lead if it weren't for his two-way play. He followed that up with a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double in Game 5. In Game 4, he finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Wiggins stepped up in a big way in two of Golden State's three wins. He's also given the Warriors a much-needed scoring punch and has been a monster on the glass, pulling down a series-best 9.4 rebounds per game. And while Wiggins isn't the only reason Tatum is shooting 37.3 percent from the field in the series, he's played a leading role in limiting the three-time All-Star. Like Iguodala before him, Wiggins is playing a massive two-way role and has proven instrumental in slowing down a high-octane forward. As wild as it sounds to think about any Warrior not named Stephen Curry, one needs only point to Iguodala in 2015 as evidence that Finals MVP controversy does happen. He's got the game to do it and he's proven more than capable. Remember, it was down 3-2 against the Bucks in the second round when Tatum delivered perhaps the best game of his career, exploding for 46 points in a do-or-die setting. With how dominant he's been, it's not hard to imagine Curry winning Finals MVP even if the Warriors lose in Game 7, but Tatum is still in the running if he can lead the Celtics to two more wins. As Statmuse pointed out, Tatum is currently one of only 10 players to ever average 20/7/7 in a Finals series, and he's the youngest of the group to do so. Tatum is having a tough time scoring against Wiggins and Golden State's suffocating defense, but he's still leading the Celtics in scoring and assists while being tied with Robert Williams III for team-high honors in rebounding.
Like Tatum, Brown shouldn't be counted out for Finals MVP just yet. He helped spark Boston's incredible comeback in Game 1 by scoring 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and led the way with 27 points in Game 3.
If the Celtics rally to win Game 6 at home and then emerge victorious in Game 7, Finals MVP likely boils down to Brown and Tatum.īrown hasn't been much more efficient than Tatum, but he was arguably the best player on the Celtics in both of their wins. But we'll cross that bridge if we get there.Ĭounting down from four to one. Is there a world in which Marcus Smart or Robert Williams III saves the day in Games 6 and 7 for the Celtics? Sure. And yes, the word "entertaining" rather than "seriously considering" is intentional given what we've seen play out in past years. In my eyes, there are four names worth entertaining in this conversation. MORE: Can Tatum deliver a signature performance in Game 6? 2022 NBA Finals MVP ranking Is it still Stephen Curry's award to lose? Could Wiggins pull an Andre Iguodala after two big games? And which one of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown should be considered the favorite for the Celtics? And with another Stephen Curry teammate grabbing the series by the horns, there seems to yet again be some drama building around whether or not the two-time regular season MVP will finally claim some individual Finals hardware. Powered by a head-turning 25-point, 13-rebound masterclass from Andrew Wiggins in Game 5, Golden State rides a 3-2 lead heading into Boston where it will look to finish off the Celtics and claim its first championship since 2018.Ī clinching opportunity means it's time to really crank up the volume on the Finals MVP chatter. The Warriors are a win away from another championship.
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