Top Five Finals MVP Rankings After Game Three

Game Three of the NBA Finals took place on Wednesday, with the Boston Celtics defeating the Dallas Mavericks 106-99 to take a 3-0 series lead. With Kristaps Porzingis missing the game after a great Game One, the Celtics could have let off the gas, but they carried their momentum from Game Two into Game Three. It was a game of runs and a battle between stars, but once again the Celtics had better team play at both ends to give them the slight edge. The Celtics are now one win away from banner 18.

The star players stepped up in Game Three, making the race for Finals MVP even more interesting. It seems like a foregone conclusion that the Celtics will win the title, just a matter of how many games and who plays the best going forward. With Porzingis out with injury likely for the rest of the series, the top candidates are obvious, but the order is what is interesting. Game Four may be huge for someone’s case to vault them to the top. With that being said, here are my top five rankings after Game Three.

1. Jaylen Brown - SF, Boston Celtics (Prev. Ranks: 1,1)

Jaylen Brown put up 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in Game Three, his best game of the series in what was already a great series for the star wing. Brown seems to be the current favorite to win Finals MVP, averaging 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists for the series. His numbers overall aren’t eye-popping, but they are the best on the Celtics, and he has been the most consistent and important player for the team all series and arguably all playoffs. Jaylen Brown has received a lot of disrespect over the years from NBA fans and experts, so a Finals MVP would do wonders for his reputation, giving him two straight playoff MVP trophies as well.

2. Jayson Tatum - PF, Boston Celtics (Prev. Ranks: 3, 3)

Jayson Tatum finally provided the scoring output people expect out of him, which moves him up to the second spot, and probably the only player who can realistically challenge Jaylen Brown for Finals MVP as of now. Tatum put up 31 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and improved his shooting percentage from the previous two games. His series averages now stand at 22 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Tatum was the favorite coming into the series to win Finals MVP, but he still has work to do to win the award. Part of the beauty of the Celtics' success is Tatum and Brown don’t care who wins awards, but the two will be fighting it out for the MVP trophy and Game Four in a potential sweep.

3.  Jrue Holiday - PG, Boston Celtics (Prev. Ranks: 5, 2)

Jrue Holiday had a big Game Two to vault him up the ranks but has fallen down a spot after Tatum’s big game. Holiday put up a solid nine points, four rebounds, and five assists, continuing his solid all-around play at both ends. He is now averaging 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists for the series. Holiday likely won’t win Finals MVP at this point, but it will be a great accomplishment for his legacy nonetheless if he wins his second title.

4. Derrick White - SG, Boston Celtics (Prev. Ranks: Unranked, 4)

Derrick White once again moves up the list after a good performance, putting up 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. He is now averaging 16, four, and four in the series. White is one of the more reliable players on the Celtics with his three-point shooting as he had four threes in Game Three and elite defense being named to the All-Defensive Second Team this year. The guard was acquired from the San Antonio Spurs in 2022 and has been a key contributor ever since for the Celtics.

5.  Luka Doncic - PG, Dallas Mavericks (Prev. Ranks: 4,4)

Luka Doncic is still on this list despite being down 0-3. I considered putting Porzingis or Al Horford on the list, but their play hasn’t been worthy of Finals MVP. After a 27-point, six rebounds, and six assist performance, Luka is averaging 30 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in the series. He finally got help from Kyrie Irving who put up 35 points in the loss but it still wasn’t enough to pull off the win. Luka’s defense has been under fire throughout the series, so unless he vastly improves on that end, a sweep is likely in store and Doncic will have no shot at his first Finals MVP. I expect him to be back, but it will require some serious reflection on what went wrong in this series.