NBA Playoff MVP Rankings - After Round 2

Of the 10 players who were on my list of potential MVP candidates after the first round, only 4 remain, with 6 losing in the conference semifinals, including the top 3 players from the first round. Giannis Antetokounmpo has still been the best player of the playoffs so far, but is left off this list since his team is out. Here are the 10 remaining players who have the best chance of winning the Finals MVP if they are able to win this year's championship, with previous ranking in parentheses:

Playoff MVP

1 (NR) Luka Doncic - PG - DAL

31.5 Pts (#2), 10.1 Reb (#8), 6.6 Ast (#6), 1.9 Stl (#3), 0.4 Blk, .474 FG%, .347 3P%, .769 FT%

2 (5) Jimmy Butler - SF - MIA

28.7 Pts (#4), 7.6 Reb, 5.4 Ast, 2.1 Stl (#1), 0.6 Blk, .525 FG%, .364 3P%, .808 FT%

3 (4) Stephen Curry - PG - GSW

26.9 Pts (#8), 4.2 Reb, 5.6 Ast, 1.1 Stl, 0.5 Blk, .451 FG%, .359 3P%, .816 FT%

4 (6) Jayson Tatum - SF - BOS

28.3 Pts (#5), 5.6 Reb, 6.1 Ast, 1.3 Stl (#9), 1.0 Blk (#10), .438 FG%, .386 3P%, .815 FT%

5 (NR) Draymond Green - PF - GSW

7.8 Pts, 7.2 Reb, 6.6 Ast (#7), 1.0 Stl, 1.2 Blk (#7), .523 FG%, .235 3P%, .667 FT%

6 (NR) Jordan Poole - SG - GSW

19.3 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 4.8 Ast, 0.7 Stl, 0.5 Blk, .500 FG%, .391 3P%, .881 FT%

7 (8) Jalen Brunson - PG - DAL

22.9 Pts, 4.6 Reb, 3.5 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 0.0 Blk, .467 FG%, .321 3P%, .846 FT%

8 (NR) Jaylen Brown - SF - BOS

22.2 Pts, 6.5 Reb, 3.8 Ast, 1.5 Stl (#7), 0.5 Blk, .484 FG%, .373 3P%, .768 FT%

9 (NR) Klay Thompson - SG - GSW

20.4 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 2.0 Ast, 1.2 Stl, 0.9 Blk, .450 FG%, .408 3P%, .769 FT%

10 (NR) Al Horford - C - BOS

13.0 Pts, 9.4 Reb (#10), 3.4 Ast, 1.1 Stl, 1.4 Blk (#5), .524 FG%, .451 3P%, .833 FT%

All-Time Player Rank Changes

Giannis Antetokounmpo has passed Kevin Johnson, Elvin Hayes, Dolph Schayes, Gary Payton, and Dan Issel to move up to #43.

Draymond Green has passed Alonzo Mourning, Terry Porter, Dikembe Mutombo, Louie Dampier, and Tracy McGrady to move up to #77.

NBA Finals Odds

The NBA Finals begin this weekend, with the two-time defending champs facing the Toronto Raptors in a very interesting matchup. (By the way, this is the matchup I predicted at the beginning of the playoffs.)

First of all, the Golden State Warriors are only the second team to reach the NBA Finals for 5 straight seasons, joining the Boston Celtics, who reached 10 straight from 1957-1966. The Toronto Raptors, meanwhile, are playing in their first ever championship series, meaning Game 1 will be the first Finals game ever played outside the United States.

This series also boasts 4 of the past 5 Finals MVP's, with 2014 MVP Kawhi Leonard now in Toronto, 2015 MVP Andre Iguodala playing an important supporting role for the Warriors, two-time defending MVP Kevin Durant questionable to play for the Warriors after injuring his leg a couple weeks ago. Though Durant may be the best player on either team, his absence doesn't kill the Warriors' chances. In fact, the Warriors are 33-4 when Curry plays but Durant does not over the past 3 seasons, meaning that Curry is stepping in to fill that void when he is needed.

This series also boasts 3 of the past 4 Defensive Players of the Year, with 2017 winner Draymond Green and Kawhi Leonard, who won the award during the two previous seasons, facing off this year. Both are versatile defenders who are usually assigned to the opponent's best player, but the Warriors also have Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala available to defend Leonard, while Golden State's best player is Curry right now, and his speed may be tough for Leonard to cover.

I've broken down the odds of any possible pattern of wins happening in this series, and am breaking it down by winner and length of series:

Raptors in 4 - 3.5%
Raptors in 5 - 9.9%
Raptors in 6 - 10.1%
Raptors in 7 - 15.9%
Raptors total - 39.4%

Warriors in 4 - 9.4%
Warriors in 5 - 14.8%
Warriors in 6 - 21.8%
Warriors in 7 - 14.5%
Warriors total - 60.6%

The first two games in Toronto will be super important. Toronto's best chance comes in a long series, which means they need to win their home games to keep the series going. The Warriors' best odds come in a medium length series, so they will need to steal home court from Toronto, which will be easier to do in the first two games, because a 2-0 road hole is difficult to overcome, though the Raptors proved it was possible just a couple days ago.

Taking everything into account, my prediction for this year's champion is:

Warriors in 6

Top 100 NBA Players: #90 - Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson

Klay is the 2nd current Warrior to appear in the top 100, just a few spots ahead of teammate Draymond Green. Although he has been in the league for 5 seasons, it wasn't until the last 2 that he made his mark, becoming a big scorer to go along with his strong shooting numbers.

Thompson has increased his scoring average in each season he has been in the league, starting out at 12.5 points per game as a rookie and reaching 22.1 per game this past season. He has also shot over 40% from 3-point range in each of his seasons, and along with Stephen Curry has set new records for three-point shots made in a season by teammates for 3 straight seasons.

For the past two seasons he has been among the best players in the league, averaging over 20 points and being named to the All-NBA Third Team each time, while also helping lead the Warriors to the top record in the West and a trip to the NBA Finals both years. In 2015, he set a new NBA record with 37 points in a quarter, going a perfect 13 for 13 from the field, including 9 three-pointers, and set his career high with 52 points in the game.

Thompson was the #3 player on the Warriors team that won the title in 2015, and was the second-best Warrior throughout this season's playoffs due to Curry's injuries. Just like in the regular season, Thompson has increased his scoring average in each successive postseason, jumping from 15.2 points in his first playoff experience to 24.7 this past season.

It is also difficult to gauge how high Thompson will rise in these rankings over the course of his career. Just like his two star teammates, it's unclear whether he has hit his peak, and it's tough to tell how high that peak will be, but he's off to a great start, with big contributions to two Finals teams and a title by age 25.

Top 100 NBA Players: # 95 - Draymond Green

Draymond Green

Green is the youngest player currently in the top 100, although only by just over 3 weeks. He was a 2nd round draft pick of the Golden State Warriors in 2012, and has shown consistent improvement throughout his 4 seasons.

After coming off the bench during his first two seasons, he became a starter in 2014 when David Lee went down with an injury in the preseason, and his play kept him in the starting lineup even after Lee returned. He averaged 11.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game that season, finishing 2nd in the Defensive Player of the Year voting as well as the Most Improved Player voting.

He raised his level of play even more in the playoffs, putting up 13.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game as Golden State won its first championship in 40 years. Although Klay Thompson was a little more recognizable, it was Green who was the #2 player on the Warriors through the playoffs, behind only regular season MVP Stephen Curry. Green cemented his status as a star by putting up a triple double in the championship-clinching game, becoming only the sixth player in history to achieve that feat, joining only Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, James Worthy, Tim Duncan, and LeBron James.

His upward trajectory continued last season, when he averaged 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and led the team with 7.4 assists per game, twice his previous high. His performance earned him a well-deserved spot on the All-NBA Second Team, and his team set a new record for wins in the regular season.

He raised his performance again in the playoffs, helping the Warriors to their second straight NBA Finals, and took over as the team's best player while Steph Curry missed multiple games to injury and struggled to regain his form after returning. Klay Thompson took over more of the scoring load for Golden State, but Green filled the gaps everywhere else. Here are their averages for this season's playoffs:

Green - 15.4 pts, 9.9 reb, 6.0 ast, 1.6 stl, 1.8 blk
Thompson - 24.3 pts, 3.7 reb, 2.3 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.4 blk

With the consistent improvement Green has shown throughout his career, there is no telling how far he could rise up these rankings in the future. It's hard to know when he will reach his peak and how high that will be, or whether he has already reached it, but another 5 years at his current level could be enough to make him top 30 material. We'll just have to wait and see.

NBA MVP Rankings - 20 Feb

There are just a couple months remaining in the regular season, with fewer than 30 games left for each team, so at this point it's pretty easy to see which players have had the greatest impact this season, but how can you tell which has been the most valuable? I have taken into account each statistical category, as well as positional averages and team winning percentage to determine the 10 top players of the season so far. Here are my current MVP rankings:

1. Stephen Curry - GSW - 29.8 P, 5.3 R, 6.5 A, 2.1 S, .508 FG, .456 3P, .912 FT

Last season Curry was given the MVP award after posting numbers similar to what he had achieved in each of the previous 2 seasons while playing nearly 5 minutes fewer per game, which means he got more efficient while leading Golden State to the league's best record and eventually a championship. This season, he is averaging career highs in scoring, rebounding, steals, field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage, and the Warriors are on a record pace. It would be hard for him to lose the MVP award at this point.

2. LeBron James - CLE - 25.0 P, 7.2 R, 6.6 A, 1.3 S, .505 FG, .719 FT

You can't have an MVP discussion without including LeBron, one of the greatest players in history, who still happens to be in his prime. His scoring average is the lowest it has been since his rookie season, but he still has Cleveland in first place in the East, and it is looking like he could make his 6th straight appearance in the NBA Finals.

3. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 24.1 P, 7.5 R, 10.1 A, 2.3 S, .460 FG, .823 FT

Westbrook's scoring has dipped a little this season with Kevin Durant back at full health, but he is currently setting career highs in rebounds, assists, and steals, along with shooting percentage, and he has the Thunder in 3rd place in the West, with a record that would normally be in contention for a #1 seed in a normal season. Add in that he is #2 in the league in assists, despite being known as a shoot-first point guard, and he is having a very special season worthy of recognition.

4. James Harden - HOU - 28.0 P, 6.4 R, 7.0 A, 1.6 S, .426 FG, .350 3P, .867 FT

The Rockets have been struggling this season, so a lot of people have overlooked Harden, who probably should have won the award last year, but he is also averaging career highs in scoring, rebounds, and assists this season, although his shooting percentage has dropped to the lowest it has been since his rookie year. If the Rockets can put together a second half run, he could get into contention.

5. Kevin Durant - OKC - 27.8 P, 7.9 R, 4.5 A, 1.0 S, 1.2 B, .508 FG, .389 3P, .896 FT

Durant joined the exclusive 50/40/90 club 3 years ago, and he is right on the edge of doing it again. Stephen Curry is currently looking like a lock to join the club this year, but very few have done it more than once, with only Larry Bird and Steve Nash doing it multiple times so far.

6. Draymond Green - GSW - 14.2 P, 9.6 R, 7.3 A, 1.3 S, 1.3 B, .488 FG, .427 3P, .679 FT

Green has one of the lowest scoring averages ever for a player receiving MVP attention, but when you look at his all-around numbers, you can see that it is merited. His only weakness is at the free throw line, where he is below average, but not a liability. He is the league leader in triple doubles, with 10 of the 40 recorded this season, ahead of Russell Westbrook, who is second with 8.

7. Kyle Lowry - TOR - 21.1 P, 4.9 R, 6.3 A, 2.2 S, .427 FG, .390 3P, .857 FT

Lowry often gets overlooked because he plays north of the border, but he is a very good player who is averaging more than 20 points per game for the first time in his career. Not only is he scoring a lot of points, he is grabbing nearly 5 boards a game, pretty impressive for a 6-0 point guard, and the Raptors are #2 in the East.

8. DeMar DeRozan - TOR - 23.4 P, 4.3 R, 4.1 A, 1.0 S, .444 FG, .337 3P, .837 FT

DeRozan is the leading scorer for Toronto, but other than points and shooting percentage, he is being outplayed by Lowry in every way, especially considering the fact that he is 7 inches taller. His scoring average is also a career high, and the two guards are giving a lot of hope to Raptor fans.

9. Kawhi Leonard - SAS - 20.2 P, 6.7 R, 2.5 A, 1.8 S, .510 FG, .482 3P, .875 FT

If not for the Warriors' success, people would be talking about this year's Spurs team as one of the all-time great teams, but they are flying under the radar while on pace for 68 wins. Leonard keeps getting better each season, and is leading the league in three-point percentage, hitting nearly half of his attempts this season, and the Spurs have the best chance at knocking off Golden State this season.

10. Klay Thompson - GSW - 21.3 P, 3.7 R, 2.2 A, .470 FG, .420 3P, .845 FT

The other Splash Brother is a star in his own right, scoring over 20 points per game and beating his teammate in the All-Star Weekend 3-point contest, but his all-around game just doesn't match up with most of the other on this list. Even with that said, you can't ignore his contributions to a great team with a real chance at a repeat championship.

Honorable Mention: Kevin Love, Paul George, Isaiah Thomas, Kemba Walker