The Knicks are NBA champions for the first time since 1973, and Jalen Brunson finished the run with the biggest game of his career.
Brunson scored 45 points in the 94-90 Game 5 win over the Spurs, including 29 points in the second half. The Knicks came back from a 15-point third-quarter deficit, won the series 4-1, and finished the postseason with a 16-3 record. Brunson also broke the Knicks’ previous Finals scoring record of 38 points, set by Willis Reed in 1970.
That performance gave Brunson the 2026 Finals MVP award and created a real question about where his series ranks against the previous winners. Some winners had much better all-around numbers. Others faced harder opponents or controlled the series on both sides of the floor. This list ranks the last 10 Finals MVP performances, starting with the weakest one and ending with the best.
10. Jaylen Brown
Finals stats: 20.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 44.0% FG, 23.5% 3P
Jaylen Brown was very good in the 2024 Finals, but his numbers were lower than every other winner on this list. He averaged 20.8 points and shot only 23.5% from three as the Celtics beat the Mavericks in five games. He also played on a deep roster with Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford.
Brown’s best performance came in Game 3. He finished with 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in a 106-99 win that gave the Celtics a 3-0 lead. He scored 15 points in the third quarter and helped the Celtics survive a late Mavericks comeback. That game was probably the main reason he won Finals MVP.
His defense was also important. Brown spent many possessions against Luka Doncic and used his size and strength to make Doncic work for his points. He averaged 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks, including three steals and three blocks in Game 1.
Brown finished Game 5 with 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists to close the series. Still, Tatum averaged more points, rebounds, and assists across the five games. Brown deserved the award because of his defense and his Game 3 performance, but his low scoring average and weak three-point shooting place him at No. 10.
9. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Finals stats: 30.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 44.3% FG, 24.2% 3P
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander produced big numbers in the 2025 Finals, but his efficiency keeps him at No. 9. He averaged 30.3 points and reached 29 points in six of the seven games. Still, he shot only 44.3% from the field and 24.2% from three. He also averaged 3.4 turnovers as the Thunder needed seven games to beat the Pacers.
His biggest performance came in Game 4. The Thunder were close to falling behind 3-1, but Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of his 35 points in the final 4:38. He turned a 103-99 deficit into a 111-104 win and tied the series. That was the most important individual stretch of the Finals and probably saved the Thunder’s season.
Gilgeous-Alexander also finished Game 5 with 31 points, 10 assists, four blocks, and two steals. In Game 7, he had 29 points and 12 assists as the Thunder won 103-91. He was not only scoring by that point. He controlled the offense, created open shots, and used the Pacers’ pressure against them.
The defense was also strong, with 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. Still, the Thunder won with one of the deepest rosters and best defenses in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander was their best player, but the poor three-point shooting and some inefficient games put him below the other stars on this list.
8. Kevin Durant
Finals stats: 28.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 7.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2.3 BPG, 52.6% FG, 40.9% 3P
Kevin Durant was much more efficient than Gilgeous-Alexander and filled every part of the box score in 2018. He averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks while shooting 52.6% from the field and 40.9% from three. The Warriors swept the Cavaliers and never faced a real elimination threat.
Durant’s best game came in Game 3. Stephen Curry shot 3-of-16 from the field and Klay Thompson scored only 10 points, but Durant finished with 43 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. He shot 15-of-23 and hit a deep three over LeBron James in the final minute to secure a 110-102 win and a 3-0 series lead.
He closed the series with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in Game 4. It was his first playoff triple-double, and the Warriors won by 23 points. Durant finished the series with a 65.4 true shooting percentage and made 26 of his 27 free throws. The Cavaliers had no defender who could stop his size, shooting, and handle.
The reason Durant is only eighth is simple. He played next to Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala on one of the most talented rosters ever. The Cavaliers were also much weaker than their 2017 team after losing Kyrie Irving. Durant was excellent, but his situation was easier than the players ranked above him.
7. LeBron James
Finals stats: 29.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 8.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 59.1% FG, 41.7% 3P
LeBron James was almost perfect offensively in the 2020 Finals. He averaged close to a 30-point triple-double and shot 59.1% from the field as the Lakers beat the Heat in six games. He controlled the pace, attacked the rim, and created most of the Lakers’ open shots.
James had 40 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in Game 5. He shot 15-of-21 from the field and 6-of-9 from three, but the Lakers lost 111-108 after Danny Green missed an open three in the final seconds. It was still the best individual game of the series.
He responded with 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in Game 6. The Lakers led by 28 points at halftime and won 106-93. James received all 11 Finals MVP votes and became the first player to win the award with three different franchises.
The only reason he ranks seventh is the opponent and the help around him. Goran Dragic missed most of the series, Bam Adebayo missed Games 2 and 3, and Anthony Davis averaged 25.0 points and 10.7 rebounds on 57.1% shooting. James was great, but the Lakers had a clear advantage once the Heat injuries started.
6. Nikola Jokic
Finals stats: 30.2 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 58.3% FG, 42.1% 3P
Nikola Jokic controlled every part of the 2023 Finals. He averaged 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists as the Nuggets beat the Heat in five games. He scored inside, hit threes, punished double-teams, and created easy shots for everyone around him.
His biggest game came in Game 3. Jokic finished with 32 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 109-94 win. It was the first 30-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist game in Finals history. Jamal Murray also had a 30-point triple-double, and the Nuggets took back control of the series.
Jokic closed the Finals with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists in Game 5. He shot 12-of-16 from the field and scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets won 94-89. He also became the first player to lead an entire postseason in total points, rebounds, and assists.
His ranking stops at sixth because the Heat were not a strong Finals opponent. They finished 44-38, entered through the Play-In Tournament, and played without Tyler Herro. The Nuggets were clearly better and won four of the five games, but Jokic’s production was still more complete than LeBron’s in 2020.
5. Kawhi Leonard
Finals stats: 28.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 43.4% FG, 35.7% 3P
In the 2019 Finals, Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors past the Warriors in six games and gave them the first championship in franchise history. His field-goal percentage was not great, but he still finished with a 60.6 true shooting percentage because he made 90.6% of his free throws. He also averaged 3.2 combined steals and blocks per game.
Leonard’s best game came in Game 4. He scored 36 points with 12 rebounds, four steals, and one block in a 105-92 road win. He shot 11-of-22 from the field, 5-of-9 from three, and 9-of-9 from the line. The win gave the Raptors a 3-1 lead.
He also had 34 points and 14 rebounds in Game 2, then 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks in Game 3. Leonard did not have a huge closeout game, finishing Game 6 with 22 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block, but the Warriors sent extra defenders at him during the entire series.
The Warriors were injured, with Kevin Durant missing almost the full series and Klay Thompson tearing his ACL in Game 6. They still had Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Thompson for most of the series, and the experience of a team chasing a third straight title. Leonard’s two-way role and the level of the opponent put him above Jokic.
4. Jalen Brunson
Finals stats: 32.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG, 42.1% FG, 38.9% 3P
Jalen Brunson had the second-highest scoring average among the last 10 Finals MVP winners, only behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and 2017 Kevin Durant, who both averaged 35.2 points. He led the Knicks to a 4-1 win over the Spurs and scored at least 30 points in four of the five games.
Brunson was not very efficient inside the arc and shot only 42.1% from the field. Still, he made 38.9% from three and 86.0% from the line while taking 26.6 shots per game. The Spurs trapped him, switched Victor Wembanyama onto him, and forced the ball out of his hands, but Brunson still created most of the Knicks’ half-court offense.
He scored 36 points with seven assists and three steals in Game 4 as the Knicks won 107-106 after rallying from 29 points back in a historic comeback. Then he finished the series with 45 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals in Game 5. Brunson shot 14-of-27 from the field, 4-of-7 from three, and 13-of-15 from the line while scoring 29 points in the second half.
The Knicks came back from a 16-point deficit in the closeout game, and Brunson scored 13 straight points for them during the fourth quarter. That performance is the main reason he ranks above Leonard, Jokic, and LeBron James. Brunson’s scoring load and 45-point closeout place him at No. 4.
3. Stephen Curry
Finals stats: 31.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 48.2% FG, 43.7% 3P
Stephen Curry won his first Finals MVP after carrying the Warriors past the Celtics in six games in 2022. He made 5.2 threes per game and posted a 62.6 true shooting percentage against the best regular-season defense in the NBA. Andrew Wiggins was the only other Warriors player who averaged more than 18 points.
The series changed in Game 4. The Warriors were down 2-1 and losing another game in the fourth quarter, but Curry finished with 43 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. He shot 14-of-26 from the field and 7-of-14 from three in a 107-97 road win. A loss would have left the Warriors down 3-1.
Curry struggled in Game 5, scoring 16 points and missing all nine of his three-point attempts. He answered with 34 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and six threes in Game 6. The Warriors won 103-90, and Curry scored 30 or more points in all three games played on the Celtics’ floor.
This performance had more pressure than Kevin Durant’s 2017 run because Curry did not have another former MVP next to him. He attacked switches, punished drop coverage, and kept scoring against one of the league’s most physical defenses. Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo had bigger numbers, which leaves Curry at No. 3.
2. Kevin Durant
Finals stats: 35.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 55.6% FG, 47.4% 3P
Kevin Durant scored at least 31 points in every game of the 2017 Finals. He finished with a 69.8 true shooting percentage while the Warriors beat the defending champion Cavaliers in five games. The Cavaliers had LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, but they never found a useful matchup against Durant.
Durant opened the series with 38 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and zero turnovers. He followed that with 33 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and five blocks in Game 2. Through two games, he had 71 points on 27-of-48 shooting, and the Warriors had won by a combined 41 points.
His biggest shot came late in Game 3. Durant pulled up over James and made the go-ahead three with 45.3 seconds left, completing an 11-0 run to finish the game. He had 31 points that night, then ended the series with 39 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on 14-of-20 shooting in Game 5.
The Warriors gave Durant an easier situation with Curry, Klay, and Green around him. That is the only real argument against this performance. His scoring volume and efficiency were still absurd, and the Warriors finished the postseason 16-1.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Finals stats: 35.2 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.8 BPG, 61.8% FG, 20.0% 3P
Giannis Antetokounmpo entered the 2021 Finals only eight days after suffering a left knee hyperextension. The Bucks lost the first two games against the Suns, but Giannis helped them win the next four. He became the first player in Finals history to average at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists while shooting over 60.0% from the field.
He scored 42 points with 12 rebounds in Game 2, then added 41 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists in Game 3. Those performances stopped the series from getting away from the Bucks. Giannis constantly attacked Deandre Ayton, reached the free-throw line, and forced the Suns to send multiple defenders into the paint.
His defense produced two of the biggest plays of the series. Giannis blocked Ayton’s alley-oop attempt late in Game 4. In Game 5, he finished Jrue Holiday’s lob over Chris Paul after Holiday stole the ball from Devin Booker. The Bucks went from a 2-0 deficit to a 3-2 lead.
Game 6 ended the debate. Giannis recorded 50 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks while shooting 16-of-25 from the field and 17-of-19 from the line. He scored 20 points in the third quarter and produced 47.6% of the Bucks’ total offense in a 105-98 title-clinching win. No other winner in this ranking had the same mix of scoring, rebounding, defense, efficiency, and closeout production.
