Postseason stats: 28.2 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 5.2 apg A five-time All-NBA selection and the team’s leading scorer in every game he’s played this postseason, Butler embodies the grind mentality that Miami carries into high-stakes competition. While the Celtics pose a formidable challenge, it’ll be tough to bet against a well-rested Butler and an experienced Heat squad returning to the conference finals for the third time in the last four seasons. 8 seed to reach the conference finals, Butler has scored 20 points or more in nine of 10 postseason outings so far, dropping a 40 piece in a franchise-record eight career playoff games as the Heat rolled to a cumulative record of 7-1 in those contests. Postseason stats: 31.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.4 apg At the ripe old age of 26, Brown has also already played in seven Game 7s in his career, saying, “seven is my favorite number.” Seriously though, that big-game experience should come in handy against a gritty Miami Heat squad led by the indefatigable Jimmy Butler. Brown thus far has scored the fifth-most postseason points in the NBA (320). The second-leading scorer in Boston’s Game 7 win, Brown tallied 25 points to go with six rebounds, two steals and two blocks, joining Kevin McHale as the only other player in franchise playoff history to average at least 24 points on 54% shooting or better in a single postseason. Postseason stats: 24.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.4 apg Also make sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming NBA Finals MVP Ladder, which launches in June.įor the third time in four years, Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler will clash for the Eastern Conference title. Instead of ranking the players the way we did all season in the Kia Race to the MVP Ladder, we’ll list each of them alphabetically. Here’s a look at the six candidates most likely to win Conference Finals MVP trophies. The high-stakes battles tip off with Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday ( 8:30 ET, ESPN) at Ball Arena, followed by the Eastern Conference finals opener Wednesday ( 8:30 ET, TNT) from TD Garden. The conference finals matchups are finally set after the Celtics win over the Sixers to finalize the East bracket. The NBA’s esteem only continues to soar with this new batch of stars ready to carry the mantle into the future. The NBA last season added the Magic Johnson (Western Conference) and Larry Bird (Eastern Conference) trophies, named after the two of the main players from that era responsible for lifting the league’s popularity. LeBron James and Nikola Jokic will battle for Finals berth, as well as Conference Finals MVP hardware.We’re one season into the NBA’s latest assortment of postseason hardware, and only one of the winners of a 2022 Conference Finals MVP trophy heads to the next round in Jayson Tatum, who led Boston to a 112-88 win Sunday over Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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