NBA Finals 2017: Power ranking Finals MVP possibilities
By Luke Norris
Kyrie Irving
2017 NBA Playoffs: 24.5 points, 5.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds
This was a very tough call. The four remaining players on this list are four of the best players in the entire world but a decision had to be made and Kyrie Irving is the choice at number four.
Coming off a monster series in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, including a playoff career-high 42 points in Game 4 — 21 of those points came in the third quarter alone — Irving has a hot hand right now and he has to hope that this little layoff hasn’t cooled him off. He shot an incredible 62.2 percent from the floor against Boston and 50 percent from the 3-point line. He’s also made 58 of 64 free throws (90.3 percent) in this postseason, just one percentage point behind Steph Curry for the best mark of any starter for the NBA Finals.
What Kyrie Irving did to them a year ago can’t be forgotten by the Golden State Warriors. Watching his Game 4 performance against the Celtics had to remind them of his Game 6 performance from last year’s Finals, a game in which Irving went for 41 points on 17-for-24 shooting, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, to help force a Game 7. And speaking of Game 7, will any Golden State fan ever forget the 3-pointer he hit right in Curry’s mug to seal the 93-89 victory?
On the off chance someone did forget, Irving gave them a reminder on Christmas Day as he hit the game-winning shot in Cleveland’s 109-108 win, only this time it was Klay Thompson who was posterized. It’s hard to defend Kyrie Irving as he can beat a team in so many ways and if he stays as hot as he’s been, there is a chance that he could steal the NBA Finals MVP.