The first round of the playoffs ended last night without a single series going the full 7 games, and there have been a lot of impressive performances so far. I've gone through all of the numbers in the first round to determine which players are the current leaders in the race to win the Finals MVP award this season, even though the actual award doesn't take the full playoffs into account. Obviously players are only eligible if their team is still alive, so Nikola Jokic, who was the third-best player of the first round, is not on this list, and neither is Brandon Ingram, who came in at #11. Here are the 10 players who had the most impact on their teams advancing past the first round:
Playoff MVP
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF - MIL
28.6 Pts (#4), 13.4 Reb (#2), 6.2 Ast, 0.2 Stl, 1.4 Blk, .568 FG% (#9), .154 3P%, .683 FT%
2. Chris Paul - PG - PHX
22.3 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 11.3 Ast (#1), 1.8 Stl (#3), 0.2 Blk, .567 FG%, .308 3P%, .960 FT% (#3)
3. Ja Morant - PG - MEM
21.5 Pts, 8.7 Reb, 10.5 Ast (#2), 1.5 Stl, 0.7 Blk, .386 FG%, .200 3P%, .712 FT%
4. Stephen Curry - PG - GSW
28.0 Pts (#5), 3.4 Reb, 5.4 Ast, 1.6 Stl, 0.4 Blk, .500 FG%, .404 3P%, .744 FT%
5. Jimmy Butler - SF - MIA
30.5 Pts (#2), 7.8 Reb, 5.3 Ast, 2.8 Stl (#1), 0.5 Blk, .543 FG%, .438 3P%, .794 FT%
6. Jayson Tatum - SF - BOS
29.5 Pts (#3), 4.5 Reb, 7.3 Ast (#5), 1.8 Stl, 0.8 Blk, .456 FG%, .419 3P%, .868 FT%
7. James Harden - SG - PHI
19.0 Pts, 5.0 Reb, 10.2 Ast (#3), 1.0 Stl, 1.2 Blk, .405 FG%, .382 3P%, .860 FT%
8. Jalen Brunson - PG - DAL
27.8 Pts (#6), 4.8 Reb, 4.2 Ast, 0.8 Stl, 0.0 Blk, .484 FG%, .364 3P%, .846 FT%
9. Joel Embiid - C - PHI
26.2 Pts (#9), 11.3 Reb (#7), 2.3 Ast, 0.3 Stl, 0.8 Blk, .520 FG%, .190 3P%, .831 FT%
10. DeAndre Ayton - C - PHX
20.5 Pts, 9.8 Reb (#9), 2.5 Ast, 0.7 STl, 1.2 Blk, .700 FG% (#2), .500 3P%, .750 FT%
All-Time Player Rank Changes
Chris Paul has passed Russell Westbrook to move up to #17
Stephen Curry has passed Dwyane Wade and Jason Kidd to move up to #21
James Harden has passed Moses Malone to move up to #25
Giannis Antetokounmpo has passed Clyde Drexler, Mark Jackson, and Rajon Rondo to move up to #48
Nikola Jokic has passed Ray Allen, Alonzo Mourning, Terry Porter, Dikembe Mutombo, Louie Dampier, Tracy McGrady, Tim Hardaway, Chris Webber, and Kyrie Irving to move up to #73
Draymond Green has passed Rod Strickland, Cliff Hagan, Walt Frazier, and Ray Allen to move up to #82
Kyle Lowry has a decent chance of reaching the top 100 this postseason, Jrue Holiday has a small chance, and Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid could maybe make it with a dominant Finals MVP-type performance.
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