Which Finals stars made our top five?

With the 2024-25 NBA playoffs successful the books and the Oklahoma City Thunder having been crowned NBA champions for the archetypal clip since arriving successful the Sooner State 17 years ago, it's clip to measure the astir impactful players crossed the full two-month gauntlet of postseason basketball.

The NHL handles its postseason honors that way, with the Conn Smythe Trophy awarded to the subordinate with the champion wide postseason. The NBA does it differently, handing retired a Finals MVP on with Eastern and Western Conference finals MVP awards, honoring the apical performer successful each of those series. We acceptable retired to capable that spread with our five-player MVP ballot for wide postseason excellence.

With that criteria successful mind, here's that five-man ballot -- positive 1 honorable notation -- to encapsulate however everything shook retired from the archetypal circular done the Thunder's Game 7 triumph Sunday night.

Previous rankings: First round | Second round | Conf. finals

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

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SGA fuels OKC to NBA rubric with 29-point double-double

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallies 29 points and 12 assists to pb the Thunder to the 2025 NBA championship.

2025 playoff stats (23 games): 29.9 PTS | 6.5 AST | 5.3 REB | 1.7 STL

Gilgeous-Alexander capped 1 of the champion idiosyncratic seasons successful NBA past with his archetypal title and Finals MVP award, putting him successful rarified aerial connected respective fronts.

He became the 11th subordinate to triumph the league's regular-season and Finals MVP awards successful the aforesaid season, joining a database exclusively made up of interior ellipse Hall of Famers. He became the archetypal subordinate to triumph the league's MVP grant and a rubric successful the aforesaid play since Stephen Curry 10 years agone (in what besides was his archetypal championship) and the archetypal to triumph the league's scoring rubric and a rubric since Shaquille O'Neal 25 years ago.

Gilgeous-Alexander is besides 1 of 4 players -- on with O'Neal, Michael Jordan (four times) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- to triumph the league's MVP award, the scoring rubric and a title each successful the aforesaid season.

All of that to say: Of course Gilgeous-Alexander is the archetypal sanction connected this list, aft the mode this play and these playoffs person shaken out.

He delivered successful each captious infinitesimal for the Thunder, peculiarly successful his closing flurries of the 2 biggest victories en way to OKC's title: Game 4s connected the road, portion trailing 2-1 successful the series, to the Denver Nuggets successful the Western Conference semifinals and the Pacers successful the NBA Finals. And portion Indiana got Gilgeous-Alexander retired of his comfortableness portion successful a mode fewer different teams have, helium inactive delivered erstwhile it mattered astir successful Game 7.

Whether oregon not this rubric is the springboard for a dynastic tally for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, his show volition spell down arsenic 1 of the champion successful league history.

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2. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers

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Rick Carlisle connected Hali: 'He volition beryllium back'

Rick Carlisle gives an update connected Tyrese Haliburton's wounded and assures that "he volition beryllium back."

2025 playoff stats (23 games): 18.6 PTS | 9.2 AST | 3.5 REB | 1.4 STL

While Indiana fell agonizingly abbreviated of its archetypal NBA championship, this has been a singular twelvemonth for the Pacers and their prima guard, arsenic Haliburton led them to respective jaw-dropping comebacks successful the playoffs, including a mates of iconic shots.

Haliburton's tying changeable astatine the extremity of regularisation of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks successful New York and his winning shots astatine the buzzer successful Game 2 of the league semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder volition spell down among the astir memorable moments from these playoffs, firmly establishing Haliburton arsenic the heir to Reggie Miller arsenic a clutch-time maestro successful Indianapolis.

Although Haliburton's Finals wide were disappointing -- helium had 1 superlative game, a 22-point, 9-rebound, 11-assist showing successful Game 3, and spent the last fewer games navigating a nagging calf strain that constricted his mobility -- his interaction during these playoffs was undeniable, arsenic was the mode Indiana ran done the Milwaukee Bucks, Cavaliers and Knicks en way to the league's title series.

But it was heartbreaking to spot Haliburton's magical postseason extremity with him lying connected the crushed successful agony with a torn Achilles -- not lone ending this season, but putting adjacent twelvemonth successful doubt, too. It was a cruel mode for 1 of the astir entertaining playoff runs successful caller representation to end, but it doesn't diminish Haliburton's indelible impact.

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3. Pascal Siakam, Pacers

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Pascal Siakam blows by defence for and-1 layup

Pascal Siakam goes up for the layup and is fouled for the and-1 opportunity.

2025 playoff stats (23 games): 20.5 PTS | 6.3 REB | 3.4 AST| 42.7 3P%

When Siakam was acquired 18 months agone by the Pacers from the Toronto Raptors, determination were plentifulness of questions implicit whether trading aggregate first-round picks -- and subsequently giving him a max declaration -- was a savvy concern decision.

Those questions are laughable now. Since joining the Pacers, Siakam has helped spark runs to the 2024 Eastern Conference finals and the 2025 Finals, won Eastern Conference finals MVP and helped propulsion Oklahoma City to the brink successful the league's title round.

Siakam has acceptable successful beautifully. He had 30 points successful 3 of the six games against the Knicks and averaged 24.8 crossed the bid to pb the Pacers earlier being Indiana's astir accordant performer successful the Finals. His quality to onslaught mismatches successful modulation was a monolithic origin successful Indiana's resurgence. The Pacers volition thin adjacent much heavy connected Siakam adjacent play arsenic they endure Haliburton's wounded absence.

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4. Jalen Williams, Thunder

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Jalen Williams: Playing with SGA has helped accelerate my growth

NBA champion Jalen Williams joins "First Take" to stock what helped him thrive during the NBA Finals for the Thunder.

2025 playoff stats (23 games): 21.4 PTS | 5.5 REB | 4.8 AST | 1.4 STL

While it was an up-and-down playoffs for Williams, his emergence into the reliable 2nd perimeter scorer Oklahoma City needed played a immense portion successful the Thunder claiming their archetypal NBA title. Williams eclipsed 25 points successful 3 consecutive games successful the Finals, including his 40-point detonation successful Game 5.

Arguably the biggest question astir the Thunder and their chances of winning the rubric entering this play was whether Williams could go that benignant of reliable playmaker to instrumentality unit disconnected Gilgeous-Alexander. In the biggest moments successful these playoffs, Williams repeatedly showed helium was up to the task. Williams, who is eligible for a monolithic rookie declaration hold this offseason, showed he's going to beryllium close successful the halfway of immoderate Thunder occurrence going forward.

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5. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

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Jalen Brunson's champion dimes of the playoffs

Check retired Jalen Brunson's apical assists from the Knicks' playoff tally truthful far.

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

Gilgeous-Alexander's struggles with Indiana's high-pressure defence successful the Finals, including the 2 worst turnover games of his playoff vocation successful losses successful Games 3 and 6, enactment Brunson's show against the Pacers successful a caller light.

Brunson averaged much than 30 points connected amended than 50% shooting crossed New York's six-game nonaccomplishment successful the Eastern Conference finals. He scored astatine slightest 20 points successful 15 of New York's 18 playoff games, 30 oregon much 10 times and 40 oregon much twice, helping pb the Knicks to their champion play successful a 4th century. That Brunson, the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year, was seen arsenic somewhat of a disappointment against Indiana contempt those gaudy numbers shows conscionable however precocious helium has raised the barroom since arriving successful New York 3 years ago.

Brunson has already go 1 of the 5 champion Knicks of each time, and helium doesn't crook 29 until August. He should stay the look of the Knicks for years to come, and New York volition surely judge that with immoderate improved extent -- and immoderate tactical changes the manager replacing Tom Thibodeau volition marque -- the Knicks tin instrumentality connected Indiana, the Cleveland Cavaliers and immoderate different challengers successful the East adjacent play arsenic they anticipation to instrumentality to the Finals for the archetypal clip since 1999.

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Honorable mention: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

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

Edwards was mostly taken retired of the Western Conference finals by the Thunder, who held him beneath 20 points successful 3 of the 5 games aft he'd scored astatine slightest 20 successful 9 of the 10 games crossed Minnesota's 2 five-game bid wins.

That said, Edwards deserves recognition for being the look of what was a second-consecutive travel to the league finals. It's worthy remembering that, earlier past season, determination had been 1 play successful the archetypal 35 of the Timberwolves' beingness successful which they won adjacent a azygous playoff series. Now, they've won 4 successful the past 2 years.

And portion there's enactment to beryllium done by Minnesota to effort to pursuit down the Thunder, the new-look Houston Rockets with Kevin Durant, the Denver Nuggets and different contenders successful the loaded Western Conference, having Edwards starring the mode is simply a bully summons to staying successful that conversation.

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