2025 Playoff MVP List: SGA tops Halliburton second, Brunson s only non-finals player

With the 2024-25 NBA playoffs coming to an end, the Oklahoma City Thunder was crowned the NBA championship for the first time after moving to Oklahoma State 17 years ago, it is time to evaluate the most influential players throughout the two-month playoff journey. This is how the NHL handles its playoff honors, and they will award the Conn Smith Trophy to the best players in the entire playoffs. The NBA's approach is different. They will award the Finals MVP and the Eastern and Western Conference Finals MVP awards to recognize top players in various series. We aim to fill this gap and select the top five MVPs based on their performance throughout the playoffs.

Based on this criteria, here is our roster of five — plus one honorary nomination — to outline the entire process from the first round to Monday morning’s Thunder’s victory in the tiebreak.

1, Shay Gilgers Alexander, Thunder

2025 playoff data (23 games): Average 29.9 points, 6.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals, with his first championship and finals MVP award, Alexander put a perfect end to one of the best individual seasons in NBA history, which put him in the top ranks in many aspects.

Alexander became the 11th player to win the league's regular season and finals MVP awards in the same season, joining a roster of core members of the Hall of Fame. Alexander has also become the first player to win the league MVP awards and championships in the same season since Stephen Curry (which was also his first championship) a decade ago, and the first player to win the league scorer and championships at the same time since Shaquille O'Neal 25 years ago.

Alexander is also one of four players to win the league's MVP, scoring champion and championship in the same season - the other three are O'Neal, Michael Jordan (four times) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

All of this shows that after such a regular season and playoffs, Alexander is of course the number one person on this list.

Alexander stood up for the Thunder at every critical moment, especially in the final stages of two most important wins to the Oklahoma City championship road: the G4 against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semi-Finals and the G4 against the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals, when the Thunder fell 1-2 in the series and was going to play this fourth away game. Additionally, while the Pacers made Alexander very uncomfortable in a way that few teams could do, he still stood up at the most critical moment of Game 7.

Regardless of whether this championship can become a springboard for Alexander and the Thunder to embark on their dynasty journey, his performance will be recorded in the history of the league and become one of the greatest performances in history.

Previous ranking: No. 1

2, Terrys Halliburton, Pacers

2025 playoff statistics (23 games): Average 18.6 points, 9.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, although the Pacers missed their first NBA championship in pain, it was an extraordinary year for the Pacers and their star guards as Halliburton led them to several jaw-dropping reversals in the playoffs, including several iconic shots.

Halliburton's tie-up shot at the end of regular time between the first away game against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, and his buzzer-beating finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second game of the division semifinals and the first game of the NBA Finals against the Thunder will all be one of the most memorable moments in this playoffs, which has made Halliburton firmly establish himself as the heir to Indianapolis key Mr. Reggie Miller.

While Halliburton's overall performance in the Finals was disappointing—he had only one great game, a third game with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, and endured a constant calf strain in the finals, limiting his mobility—there is no denying his influence in this year's playoffs, with the Pacers knocking out the Milwaukee Bucks, Cavaliers and Knicks all the way, and the way he ended up in the league finals was equally impressive.

But it was heartbreaking to see Halliburton's magical playoff journey ended with a torn Achilles tendon to fall to the ground - not only ending his season, but also filling the next season with uncertainty. It was a cruel ending for one of the most viewing playoff trips in memory in recent years, but it wouldn't undermine Halliburton's indelible influence.

Previous ranking: 2nd place

3, Pascal Siakam, Pacers

2025 playoff data (23 games): Average 20.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 42.7% three-point shooting percentage 18 months ago, when the Pacers traded to Siakam from the Toronto Raptors, many people questioned whether it was a wise business decision to send multiple first-round picks - and then give him a maximum salary contract -.

These problems are ridiculous nowadays. Since coming to the Pacers, Siakam has helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024 and reach the Finals in 2025. He has also won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and helped the team push the Thunder into a desperate situation in the finals.

Siakam fits perfectly into the team. He scored 30 points in three of his six games against the Knicks, averaging 24.8 points throughout the series.. Siakam led the Pacers to keep moving forward and became the team's most stable player in the finals. Siakam's ability to attack misalign in conversion offense is an important factor in becoming stronger by the Pacers. Next season, the Pacers will rely more on Siakam when Halliburton is out due to injury.

Previous ranking: No. 4

4, Jaylen Williams, Thunder

2025 playoff data (23 games): Average 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game Although Williams' playoff performance has fluctuated, he grew up to be the reliable No. 2 outside scorer needed by the Thunder and played a crucial role in winning the first NBA championship in team history. Williams scored more than 25 points in three straight games in the finals, including 40 in Game 5.

Arguably, the biggest question about the Thunder and its chances to win the championship before the start of the season is whether Williams can grow into the kind of reliable playmaker who can share the pressure for Alexander. At the most critical moment of this year's playoffs, Williams repeatedly proved that he was competent for the task. Williams, who qualifies for a huge rookie early contract extension this offseason, shows that any future success of the Thunder will center him on him.

Previous ranking: 6th place

5, Jaylen Brunson, Knicks

2025 playoff data (18 games): Average 29.4 points, 7.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds, Alexander struggled against the Pacers in the finals, including the two worst performances in his playoff career in the third and sixth defeats, allowing people to look at Brunson's performance against the Pacers with a new perspective.

In the Eastern Conference Finals where the Knicks lost to the Pacers 2-4, Brunson averaged more than 30 points per game with more than 50% of the field goal. In 18 playoff games for the Knicks, he scored at least 20 points in 15 games, scored at least 30 points in 10 games and scored at least 40 points in two, helping the Knicks achieve their best season in nearly 25 years. Despite such gorgeous statistics, Brunson, a key player of the year, is still seen as a bit disappointing against the Pacers, which is precisely how high he has raised the standards of people since he came to New York three years ago.

Brunson has become one of the five greatest players in the Knicks history, and he only turned 29 in August. Brunson should continue to serve as the Knicks' facade for the next few years, and the team will certainly believe that with the depth of the lineup - and the tactical changes brought about by replacing Tom Thibodeau's new head coach - the Knicks can play against the Pacers, Cavaliers and any other challengers in the East next season, hoping to return to the Finals for the first time since 1999.

Previous ranking: 3rd place

Honorary nomination: Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

2025 playoff data (15 games): Average of 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists

Edwards was largely limited by the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. Edwards led the Minnesota Timberwolves to win two rounds of the series 4-1 and scored at least 20 points nine times in 10 games. But in three of his five games against the Thunder, he scored under 20 points.

Having said that, as the team's second consecutive year of breaking into the division finals, Edwards' performance is commendable. It is worth mentioning that before last season, they won one round of the playoff series in the first 35 seasons of the Timberwolves' team building. And now, the Timberwolves have won four rounds of the series in the past two years.

And, while the Timberwolves have a lot of work to do to catch up with the Thunder, the new Houston Rockets with Kevin Durant, the Nuggets and other competitive Western Conference contenders, they can gain a place in the championship race under Edwards.

Previous ranking: 7th place

Author: Tim Bontemps

Translator: GWayNe