Last season, Jaylen Brown was the NBA Finals MVP, but he is working through a sore knee as this postseason opens. So it will likely be up to Tatum to lead the charge to consecutive titles, and we will have to see if he can beat out the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell to win the 2025 NBA Finals MVP award.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played into all his MVP, game-closing, midrange-loving ways as the Thunder closed out the Grizzlies in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs.

It took four games, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finally looked like the probable MVP winner he was in a playoff setting. He ensured the Oklahoma City Thunder flew home without a Game 5 on the docket.