The Warriors are a win away from another championship.
Powered by a head-turning 25-point, 13-rebound masterclass from Andrew Wiggins in Game 5, Golden State rides a 3-2 lead heading into Boston where it will look to finish off the Celtics and claim its first championship since 2018.
A clinching opportunity means it's time to really crank up the volume on the Finals MVP chatter. And with another Stephen Curry teammate grabbing the series by the horns, there seems to yet again be some drama building around whether or not the two-time regular season MVP will finally claim some individual Finals hardware.
Is it still Stephen Curry's award to lose? Could Wiggins pull an Andre Iguodala after two big games? And which one of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown should be considered the favorite for the Celtics?
Let's take a closer look.
MORE: Can Tatum deliver a signature performance in Game 6?
2022 NBA Finals MVP ranking
In my eyes, there are four names worth entertaining in this conversation. And yes, the word "entertaining" rather than "seriously considering" is intentional given what we've seen play out in past years. Is there a world in which Marcus Smart or Robert Williams III saves the day in Games 6 and 7 for the Celtics? Sure. But we'll cross that bridge if we get there.
Counting down from four to one...
4. Jaylen Brown, Celtics
Stats: 21.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 40.9% FG
If the Celtics rally to win Game 6 at home and then emerge victorious in Game 7, Finals MVP likely boils down to Brown and Tatum.
Brown hasn't been much more efficient than Tatum, but he was arguably the best player on the Celtics in both of their wins. He helped spark Boston's incredible comeback in Game 1 by scoring 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and led the way with 27 points in Game 3.
Like Tatum, Brown shouldn't be counted out for Finals MVP just yet.
3. Jayson Tatum, Celtics
Stats: 23.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 37.3% FG
Tatum is having a tough time scoring against Wiggins and Golden State's suffocating defense, but he's still leading the Celtics in scoring and assists while being tied with Robert Williams III for team-high honors in rebounding. As Statmuse pointed out, Tatum is currently one of only 10 players to ever average 20/7/7 in a Finals series, and he's the youngest of the group to do so.
With how dominant he's been, it's not hard to imagine Curry winning Finals MVP even if the Warriors lose in Game 7, but Tatum is still in the running if he can lead the Celtics to two more wins.
Remember, it was down 3-2 against the Bucks in the second round when Tatum delivered perhaps the best game of his career, exploding for 46 points in a do-or-die setting. He's got the game to do it and he's proven more than capable.
2. Andrew Wiggins, Warriors
Stats: 18.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 45.8% FG
Yes, really. As wild as it sounds to think about any Warrior not named Stephen Curry, one needs only point to Iguodala in 2015 as evidence that Finals MVP controversy does happen.
Like Iguodala before him, Wiggins is playing a massive two-way role and has proven instrumental in slowing down a high-octane forward. And while Wiggins isn't the only reason Tatum is shooting 37.3 percent from the field in the series, he's played a leading role in limiting the three-time All-Star. He's also given the Warriors a much-needed scoring punch and has been a monster on the glass, pulling down a series-best 9.4 rebounds per game.
Wiggins stepped up in a big way in two of Golden State's three wins. In Game 4, he finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds. He followed that up with a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double in Game 5.
While there's still a big gap between Wiggins and Curry for Finals MVP (more on that below), the Warriors wouldn't have a 3-2 lead if it weren't for his two-way play.
1. Stephen Curry, Warriors
Stats: 30.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 46.6% FG
Let's not get carried away and lose sight of a very simple fact: Curry is the overwhelming favorite.
Through four games, there was no doubt that Curry was the front-runner for Finals MVP. He led all scorers with 34 points in Game 1, 29 points in Game 2 and 31 points in Game 3. He then delivered the finest Finals showing of his career with 43 points in Game 4 to tie the series at 2-2 and regain homecourt advantage.
In doing so, Curry became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1998 to lead all players from both teams in each of the first four games of an NBA Finals.
Curry came back down to earth in Game 5, but his fingerprints were still all over the game.
Even after scoring 16 points on 0-for-9 shooting from deep, Curry is averaging 30.6 points on 41.7 percent shooting from 3-point range. He's been nothing short of incredible.
And yet... never say never. Could he miss out again if the Warriors win the title?
Could Andrew Wiggins win Finals MVP over Stephen Curry?
It's funny how quickly things can change.
After Game 4, there was some chatter about Curry deserving to be Finals MVP regardless of how the final three games of the series played out. Then, Curry struggled in Game 5 while Wiggins dominated, and now some are wondering if Wiggins could win the award over Curry.
Is it possible? Sure. Wiggins' case isn't exactly the same as Andre Iguodala's in 2015, but there are some parallels. Not only is he expected to chase around the best player on the opposing team, but he's played an important role offensively.
MORE: Ranking Steph Curry's greatest Finals performances
The biggest difference this time around is that Curry has been quite a bit better than he was in 2015. His numbers are up almost across the board and his 43-point, 10-rebound performance in Game 4 could very well go down as the turning point of the series if the Warriors are crowned champions.
Any world in which Wiggins wins over Curry probably starts with a similar outcome in Game 6, where Wiggins outshines Curry significantly. Even then, it might need to happen two more times, with Wiggins playing great in a Game 6 loss followed by a Herculean two-way effort in Game 7.
| Series | PPG | APG | RPG | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
| 2015 Finals | 26.0 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 44.3 | 38.5 | 88.5 |
| 2022 Finals | 30.6 | 4.6 | 5.8 | 46.6 | 41.7 | 83.3 |
Never say never, but even more so than in 2015, it would take a perfect storm for Wiggins to leapfrog Curry.
