Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Boston Celtics are navigating a fiercely competitive Eastern Conference playoff field with a narrow series lead against the Philadelphia 76ers.
- One player has emerged as the linchpin of Boston's offensive and defensive strategies, maintaining poise and efficiency despite limited support.
- This individual's postseason performance is elevating him to new heights in the MVP conversation and shaping the Celtics' title aspirations.
We are roughly halfway through the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and there is no shortage of intrigue so far. The entire East is a rock fight; it really feels like all eight teams, on some level, have a chance to advance. The West is a bit more lopsided, but not necessarily in the way we all expected. The Lakers are winning without Luka Doncic. The Nuggets are struggling behind Nikola Jokic.
You don't need to look hard to find several standout performers to date, but here's an early snapshot of the postseason MVP ladder.
Honorable mentions
Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
It's easy enough to sing the praises of Anthony Edwards, but this series so far is a reminder of just how good Rudy Gobert is. Love him, hate him, love to hate him, there's no denying Gobert's impact on the defensive end. He's clamping Nikola Jokić one-on-one and completely stonewalling Denver in the paint. Minnesota's winning edge right now is provided by the four-time DPOY.
Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
Scottie Barnes has really put the pieces together this season, despite a supporting cast that doesn't always offer much support. Toronto's offense is cramped and awkward most nights, but Barnes' 33-point, 11-assist performance in Game 3 was a reminder of how many ways he can drive winning. He's a dominant slasher, a legitimate playmaking fulcrum and a potential first-team All-Defense candidate. It's all on display right now, even if he's fighting a losing battle with the Raptors.
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Tyrese Maxey is still finding his rhythm after a late-season finger injury, but he's an elite clutch-time scorer and the ignition for Philadelphia's offense. The ability to apply rim pressure, bury deep pull-up 3s and set the offense in motion while limiting mistakes against Boston's swarming defense is the main reason the Sixers still have a shot.
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
He's Nikola Jokić. There's not much else to it. A horrendous Game 3 and Denver's current deficit leaves the three-time regular-season MVP out of the top five, but he's still stuffing the stat sheet. Jokić is the only reason Denver has any chance to engineer a comeback.
5. CJ McCollum, Atlanta Hawks
Stats: 27.0 PTS | 3.7 REB | 2.7 AST | 1.3 STL | 1.3 BLK | 50.8 FG% | 39.1 3P%
You can kill a man (Trae Young), but you can't kill an idea.
The Knicks are learning this the hard way. Atlanta moved on from Young at the deadline and received a 34-year-old CJ McCollum from Washington for their troubles. Expectations were low. Most of us thought the Hawks were kicking the proverbial can down the road. Instead, they blossomed into basketball's most dominant team over the final two months of the season, now with a 2-1 series lead over the No. 3 seed Knicks.
McCollum is the great surprise of these playoffs. He has exposed Jalen Brunson's shortcomings as a defender to an almost comical degree. He hit the game-winner on Thursday night. He hit multiple go-ahead shots in the final minutes of Game 2. The man is basically automatic in crunch time at the moment. New York's defense has zero answers, despite all the defensive cachet between OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Deuce McBride.
This is a well-earned coming out party for McCollum, which feels odd to say about a 13-year vet who has averaged 20-plus points for the bulk of his career. And yet, McCollum is a zero-time All-Star who has struggled to come across sustained postseason success in the past, even when he shared a prime with Damian Lillard.
It's still early and much can change, but for a Hawks team with limited firepower on the perimeter, McCollum is sustaining their offense in a major way right now.
4. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Stats: 25.7 PTS | 5.0 REB | 4.0 AST | 1.0 STL | 0.0 BLK | 52.5 FG% | 37.5 3P%
Toronto made this a series in Game 3, as Donovan Mitchell and James Harden both went cold on the road. Cleveland still holds the series lead with home-court advantage, however, and Mitchell was special in the Cavs' opening two wins — 32 points in Game 1 and 30 points in Game 2.
There is a ticking clock on this whole Cavs experiment, and this feels like the year to make something happen. The fit with Harden has been seamless so far. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are both healthy for the playoffs. With Detroit struggling as the No. 1 seed (and Boston and New York both looking far from invincible), there's a real window of opportunity open to Cleveland.
Mitchell will need to seize the moment. He's almost never the reason for his team's postseason flameouts. Sure, there are defensive shortcomings, but those are less egregious without Darius Garland sharing the backcourt. Offensively, Mitchell is consistently clutch, never scared of the moment. It sounds cliche, but it's important at this time of year.
Few NBA guards can more consistently tilt the defense and create quality shots for himself. Mitchell is a tank driving the lane, with enough skill, finesse and vision to mix up his cadences and set up his teammates as needed. This really could be the year for the Cavs. Let's see if Mitchell can keep on delivering.
3. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Stats: 25.3 PTS | 9.7 REB | 8.7 AST | 2.0 STL | 0.7 BLK | 47.4 FG% | 43.8 3P%
The Lakers are up 3-0 on Houston despite missing both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, their first- and second-leading scorer in the regular season. The Rockets deserve a whole lot of blame for completely wetting the bed, but it's also a testament to the Lakers — and really to LeBron James, who still has a bit of that old magic at 41 years old.
It is, frankly, prepostrous what LeBron is doing in these playoffs. The Lakers will face a far more serious challenge in Round 2, but the Rockets aren't a slouchy defensive team (usually). There's real size, length and athleticism on that roster, and James has remained in the pocket all series, picking apart his opponent with the surgical precision and periodic explosiveness we've come to know over the years (or decades).
He's no longer the greatest player on earth, but James wields unmatched corporate knowledge. There is never a smarter player on the floor; he's several steps ahead of the Rockets on every possession. He elevates teammates, directing traffic on both ends and exploiting Houston's far too frequent lapses. And when the Lakers need him to take over, to bury a game-tying 3 to force overtime on the road, James is still more than capable.
He's a god among men and still very much able to win a playoff series on his own. Clearly. What a show from the GOAT — and what a meltdown from the Rockets.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Stats: 31.0 PTS | 4.5 REB | 8.0 AST | 0.5 STL | 1.0 BLK | 41.9 FG% | 22.2 3P%
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't shoot very well from the field in Game 1 and the Thunder are essentially on cruise control, so it'd be easy enough to leave him out of this conversation. There's a reason OKC is so far above of the competition, however, and it starts with SGA, who's about to win his second straight regular-season MVP award (and is the odds-on favorite to win another Finals MVP award when all is said and done).
Even when he's cold, Gilgeous-Alexander applies constant, back-breaking pressure on his opponent. He shot 17 free throws in Game 1 and nine more in Game 2, with two misses combined at the stripe. You can practically hear the jeers about his so-called "foul baiting," but the thing is, Gilgeous-Alexander is a master of his craft. He puts his defenders on skates with stop-start handles; his dexterity and off-beat tempo is impossible to anticipate. The foul-drawing is a testament to how difficult it is to guard SGA, not how favorable the whistles are.
He's an MVP doing MVP things. No surprises. It does not feel special right now, but that's exactly why it is special.
1. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Stats: 29.0 PTS | 6.0 REB | 3.7 AST | 1.3 STL | 1.3 BLK | 50.8 FG% | 50.0 3P%
This physically pains me as a Sixers fan with a long-running agenda on the subject of "Jaylen Brown," but c'mon. He's been great all year and he's doing more of the same in the playoffs. Boston looks more vulnerable than we all expected, but their 2-1 series lead is even more of a credit to Brown (and his tag-team partner Jayson Tatum) as a result. The Celtics are basically playing two-on-five offensively at times, but their two are better than any two on the Sixers roster.
Brown looks so calm and collected. You can really tell he's been here before. Sorry for another cliche, but the Celtics know what it's like beating up on Philly in the playoffs. Brown is a Finals MVP. He oozes an easy confidence right now, even when the waters get choppy for Boston. He probes the soft middle of Philly's defense and gets into his pull-up jumper so effortlessly. He's red-hot from deep. He's taking on the Paul George and VJ Edgecombe assignments on defense and doing an admirable job.
Boston is still my pick to run the gauntlet in the East, especially with Detroit and New York showing major weakness in Round 1. The Celtics still need to handle business against the Sixers, who could get Joel Embiid back for Game 4. Philly has more than held its own over the last couple games. Nick Nurse has met the Joe Mazzulla challenge surprisingly well. But, with Brown on his current trajectory, the Celtics are the easiest team to bet on. Even with a paper-thin supporting cast.
If this is the start of the next chapter in Brown's legacy — that of a stone-cold postseason riser — he deserves major credit. There was a time not too long ago when Brown was being lampooned for his inability to dribble with his left. Now he's clinical in his two-way dominance.
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