Sonny Hammoud - Who will win Finals MVP?

 

By Sonny Hammoud

So far, it has been a very fun two games in the NBA Finals and it gave me something to think about. Who will win the Finals MVP award when it is all said and done? I believe it will come down to three candidates.

Chris Paul: He would be the obvious candidate based on narrative due to his long-storied career, how he helped the Suns get to the next level and how this can be his first/only championship. He also has great stats to back it up as he is averaging 27.5 points, 8.5 assists, and a 58.3 3-point percentage.

Devin Booker: He is the other likely candidate on the Phoenix Suns and it is definitely remarkable considering this is only the first playoff run of his career. Winning an Finals MVP at this stage would continue to do wonders for his career and establish him further as a top player in the league. He averages 29 points, 6 assists, and the most minutes in the series so far with 43 minutes.

Giannis: Only one player has won the Finals MVP award on a losing team (Jerry West) and Lebron James was heavily considered to become the second person during the 2015 NBA Finals. For Giannis, he can be a candidate to pull this off. While guaranteed to win Finals MVP if the Bucks can come back and win the series, even if they are unable to pull this off, Giannis has a great stat line that can give him the case if the series can be extended to a Game 6 or Game 7. He averages 31 points (higher than Chris Paul and Devin Booker), 2 blocks, 4 assists, 14.5 rebounds, and the highest field goal percentage at 63.6 percent. While this might be the most unlikely scenario over Chris Paul and Devin Booker on the winning team, Giannis could very well make his case based on these stats and if he can maintain or even improve them during the next few games.

For my own pick, I am thinking that it will be Devin Booker. He is very close with Chris Paul in this race and I feel his scoring ability will seal his case for the award in the next 2 games in Milwaukee. He has a slightly higher plus/minus than Chris Paul as well and Booker having the most minutes means he will get the most chances to get this award.