If FINALS MVPs Were Given To the BEST Player (1969-Present)

The NBA typically gives its Finals MVP awards to players who meet certain criterias... but what if the MVP was just given to the best player? We're looking at who would win it in those cases from its inception in 1969, to the present.
SPOILERS FOR THE RESULTS BELOW...
The winners of the “Real MVPs”
69: West
70: West*
71: Kareem
72: Wilt
73: Frazier*
74: Kareem*
75: Barry
76: Cowens*
77: Erving*
78: Hayes*
79: D. Johnson
80: Magic
81: Bird*
82: Magic
83: Moses
84: Bird
85: Magic
86: Bird
87: Magic
88: Magic*
89: Dumars
90: Isiah
91: Jordan
92: Jordan
93: Jordan
94: Hakeem
95: Hakeem
96: Kemp*
97: Jordan
98: Jordan
99: Duncan
00: Shaq
01: Shaq
02: Shaq
03: Duncan
04: Shaq*
05: Duncan
06: Wade
07: Parker
08: Garnett*
09: Kobe
10: Kobe
11: Wade*
12: LeBron
13: LeBron
14: LeBron*
15: LeBron*
16: LeBron
17: Durant
18: Durant
19: Kawhi
20: LeBron
21: Giannis
22: Steph
Leaders in “Real” FMVPs
LeBron: 6
Jordan: 5
Magic: 5
Shaq: 4
Duncan: 3
Bird: 3
Hakeem: 2
Kobe: 2
Durant: 2
Kareem: 2
West: 2
Wade: 2
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The game of Basketball has been my passion since I was 5 years old. I grew up as a kid watching my dad's recorded VHS tapes of playoff games through the 70s and 80s, and collected all the Basketball cards. Something about the game and what it represents just hooked me from a very young age.
My love for the game only continues to grow as time goes on. I love studying and analyzing the game, with an unbiased perspective. Feel free to subscribe, follow me on social media, and celebrate this amazing game and it's rich history with me!
I post videos every week on NBA history, predictions, hypothetical scenarios and current NBA topics.
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Intro Music: Turn On - RW Smith • Turn On - RW Smith (No... ​​​​​​​​​​
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#nba #basketball #mvp

[@jonnyarnett]

How would you change the list? For those of you who’ve been following the series, 1969 to 1979 is brand new, and that begins at 1:08. 2020-2022 is also brand new, and that begins at 1:06:58.

[@babysaleem1]

U da goat

[@historiaeesporte]

Wilt in 70 not better than West? 20-20-60, with a remarkable game 6 (45-27), and a solid game 7, 21-24-7 ast. (West 28-6-5) Top rebounder in every game, and top socorer in two of them (Reed and West twice each). Wilt also had more assists than West in a couple of games (his high average due to a 18-ast game).

[@etjrnbrlrtbrbrb5395]

Kareem definitely was better than magic in 80

[@GabrielXander]

KD in 2018 is a crime. Repent

[@tpsam]

You sure you aren't overworked OMG so much content and so consistently

[@jimkazetsky5897]

I always knew Magic was one of the best ever, but I didn’t realized he was that good and consistent in the finals.

[@petergeorgeades3082]

Yep, one of the greatest playoff performers ever

[@goodjohnhunting]

People are starting to hint at Steph being the best point guard over Magic. I ain't ready to go there.

[@imfinishedgrinding638]

As a pure point guard, nothing is ever toppling Magic's place as the best for sure 😤

[@docallentv]

Played 48 minutes.. He was a monster out there.

[@dododump3144]

He didn’t deserve the 1980 FMVP

[@pranjalpandey1180]

Gonna be great next hour

[@albertlovrinovic5651]

Agreed.

[@Cap_Alot]

Fr

[@lemonlazer5687]

Words out of my mouth and all that sir.

[@goodjohnhunting]

Jonny's the best!

[@DenisMason-cg7qy]

❤❤

[@chasemichael6008]

Shaq was a freaking monster. People forget just how impossible he was to guard. Guy literally decimated Mutombo in the Finals... Who won the DPOY award that year.

[@fortynights1513]

If you watch the 2002 segment again closely, there’s a point where he says “the beginning of this video.” Clearly a reference to the 2000’s video by itself.

[@chasemichael6008]

@@fortynights1513 Yep

[@gm2407]

​@@fortynights1513Well it is because this is a conjuction of all the decade videos for this award. So it was the begining of the 2000s.

[@gordonshumway5933]

Shaq deserves a ton of credit for what he’s accomplished especially without being good at free throws, he was strong and dominant. That being said, he decimated Dikembe Mutombo bc you literally couldn’t play defense against him while he was able to play defense on everyone else. It’s fair to say the greats earn it, they get the benefit of the doubt and or star treatment by being stars and having a great season. But I have a hard time thinking of any player who benefited from it in that way. I love D-Wade but that first Heat championship was in ways as a series what Shaq in ways was from 2000 to 04-05.. there’s endless moments during that time where he would camp out in the lane, Bill Walton would be counting during the play by play. Calling out phantom fouls which made teams have to back off Shaq even more bc at times it was a foul if he leaned into you. I’m not saying he wasn’t great, that he wouldn’t of been a champ, or that he was a fraud of some sort that the NBA created, but his stats were absolutely padded bc of it and it gave him an edge against anybody guarding him, that and the refs at the time appearing to try to extend series very well could’ve helped create or maintained a Shaq lead dynasty.

[@Videos-sobre-punhos-e-rodas]

Dennis Rodman.

[@Videos-sobre-punhos-e-rodas]

To recapitulate, this is the list of the Finals MVP of this video: 1969: Jerry West (Los Angeles Lakers) 1970: Jerry West (Los Angeles Lakers) 1971: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks) 1972: Wilt Chamberlain (Los Angeles 1973 - Walt Frazier (New York Knicks) 1974: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks) 1975: Rick Barry (Golden State Warriors) 1976: Dave Cowens (Boston Celtics) 1977: Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers) 1978: Elvin Hayes (Washington Bullets) 1979: Dennis Johnson (Seattle Supersonics) 1980: Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) 1981: Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) 1982: Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) 1983: Moses Malone (Philadelphia 76ers) 1984: Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) 1985: Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) 1986: Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) 1987: Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) 1988: Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) 1989: Joe Dumars (Detroit Pistons) 1990: Isiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons) 1991: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) 1992: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) 1993: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) 1994: Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) 1995: Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) 1996: Shawn Kemp (Seattle Supersonics) 1997: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) 1998: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) 1999: Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) 2000: Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) 2001: Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) 2002: Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) 2003: Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) 2004: Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) 2005: Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) 2006: Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) 2007: Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) 2008: Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) 2009: Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) 2010: Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) 2011: Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) 2012: LeBron James (Miami Heat) 2013: LeBron James (Miami Heat) 2014: LeBron James (Miami Heat) 2015: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) 2016: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) 2017: Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors) 2018: Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors) 2019: Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors) 2020: LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) 2021: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) 2022: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

[@Santiago_1402]

2018 LeBron

[@MrReese]

Watching West play on those old clips feels a lot more recent than it really is. I feel like West really was ahead of his time.

[@moeball740]

If the 3 point line existed in 1970 the Lakers win that series. And West would have been awarded the Finals MVP he deserved.

[@Gaslight77]

Why don't you make a video of the best players of the playoffs as a whole since 1959-60 season? It would be cool to see how different it would be from the Finals MVP and it would be an interesting complement to the regular season best players video. Keep it up the great work! 🥳🥳

[@Cap_Alot]

This video says who are the best players in the playoffs and they win the fmvp over the not best player

[@sir_sack]

​@@Cap_Alot this video is exclusively about the finals

[@Gaslight77]

​​​@@Cap_Alot Of course not buddy, this video is about the Finals MVP's only. If you hear all the video Jonny himself talk about Kobe be arguably the best player than Shaq in Lakers 2000-01 playoffs run. This is why I want a video like that, to see if the player who won the Finals MVP always gonna win the Playoffs MVP award in his opinion.

[@Gaslight77]

​@@sir_sack Exactly

[@iansanchez966]

I wish the NBA created a playoffs MVP. For me, I would require a player to at least make the conference finals to qualify. LeBron probably wins every year from 2012-2018, AD gets 2020, maybe MJ gets it in 1990 despite not making the Finals. Could be some interesting selections

[@froggyspond1133]

I love long play content from you, man. You do this NBA KZbin content shit on the highest level & I can’t wait to see more. Would love more longplay style videos. Maybe more full career retrospectives etc etc

[@b-tiger299]

Ngl I didn't realize how much Magic and Bird owned the 80s 😭

[@Manolo8988]

Them celtics had the best defense at that time and prolly the best front court ever And them lakers had the goat PG and Goat Center + big game worthy lakers in 10 years went 10 times to the finals and won 5 Bird was insane 3 mvps with 50 40 90 10 rebounds oer game and runner up to dpoy 2 times criminally underrated they owned the 80s how mj was suposed to win vs them juggernauts with them loaded teams

[@choward5430]

Chamberlain had 8 blocks in game 5 of the '72 finals - 24 points, 29 rebounds, 8 blocks, and 8 assists. I watched the game.

[@lukaslambs5780]

Great video! 2017 could go either way between KD and Bron, but 2018 should definitely have gone to Lebron in my opinion. His stats are pretty much the same while being as good or better on defense and with WAY less help. Lebron’s efficiency with the Warriors would have been absurd, Lebron had to carry a team of make a wish kids.

[@curtiszyr]

Your opinion is irrelevant . Make a wish kids lmao these are MEN 😂😂😂😂

[@hexflash.]

nah kd is better. LeBron's teammates are bad but that doesn't give him the edge over kD. individually kD had been more efficient

[@gameaterclankable2.197]

​@hex yeah but as time has told us (which I knew all along) KD is an amazing scorer but that's all you're gonna get. You have to remember bro, they warriors were already the best team in the league. So of course he's gonna have video game numbs. He's playing with another MVP as well. A unanimous one at that.

[@hexflash.]

@@gameaterclankable2.197 that's not the point. We are talking about individual stats and clearly kD is outscoring everybody. Steph being in the team has nothing to do with kD outscoring and outperforming LeBron. He is been outscoring curry and Bron even since he was a thunder with Russ. But if you insist to that narrative, we could also say LeBron wasn't the real mvp in Miami rings and the bubble one. Bron pretty much joined or recruited the most all star and superstar teammate along with the most top 5 draft teammate (35 top 5 draft players).

[@gameaterclankable2.197]

@@hexflash. Out performed who? Lebron and his states were basically identical. And again, better team. Means better looks, better help on defense, better shooters to pass too, etc.

[@matthewsabat8233]

The footage is great and the content is fabulous! There is no better basketball history channel than this one. Keep it up Johnny we basketball fans thank you!

[@atlien1988]

Although Scottie guarded Magic for the majority of game 2, Jordan guarded him the most overall during that series. Also, I find it incredibly difficult to give a player FMVP on the losing team, especially if the series didn't even go 7 games.

[@xofx6160]

Like imo bron in 2014, he was very passive during most the game until it was a blowout n garbage time.

[@stephatkinson8606]

I like most of your videos, but I don't like where you going with this one. The losing player on the losing team should never win a mvp! Jerry West got it, but it's obvious he didn't do enough for his team. And you play to win the title, not out score or have better stats! Russell coached and played in that game, you don't think that had more to do with Boston winning than anything West did? Same with Doctor J! There is no way he deserved any mvp over Walton! They lost 4 straight because he wasn't the leader he should've been.... stats ain't the end all.

[@MudManSon]

Suggestion: The best player in every finals before the Finals MVP award existed (1947-1968)

[@amadorluis2008]

jonny these last few vids have been incredible keep it up !

[@ray10237]

Damn, you are dropping the absolut best Basketball content at the moment

[@rileymcphee9429]

Very professionally made. You have reasoning for your picks so that the watcher can understand your decision and make their own. Well done

[@andrewmays8990]

Just got off work and my man Johnny dropped a hour video. Made my da thanks bro

[@mayoman2404]

been waiting for this one, i already know its gonna be great

[@MAEDtravel]

Making a lot of videos these days.. your inspiration made us think deeper how NBA should be perceived

[@ZeusMcCormick]

Been comin in hot with the content lately. Love it.

[@clubpenguin13531]

Great video as always Jonny! Would you consider making a video about who you think the playoff MVPs were for each year (for players who made at least the conference finals)

[@davidschmidt1793]

That's a great idea. There have been so many instances of the best players in the conference finals not winning the series due to a bad/subpar supporting cast

[@Rodanguirus]

@@davidschmidt1793 Agreed. Or there are cases where the Finals isn't even the most intense matchup. It's why I love the NHL's Conn Smythe award (MVP for the entire playoffs).

[@TomCruz54321]

The only problem I see with this is the number of games. What kind of weight do you give someone who played 4 games, 8, games, or 16 games?

[@pitteryfior]

Good list. Great information. Awesome remarks. I don't agree with a few, but it is a very good job

[@hristijandimitrovski8664]

You should've wait until this season ended so you could add Finals MVP of this year, but anyway, thanks for this video, it's very enjoyable.

[@aaanawaleh]

Love your content. This video and the real regular season mvp video have convinced me to sub.

[@timmyg831]

I still think Dirk deserves the 2011 FMVP. Wade played well but his stats doesn’t stand out significantly over Dirk. In that series, you could tell Dirk was truly determined to win.

[@jamarreid1082]

Nope, that’s narrative. Dirk won because Lebron had his worst series. If lebron was even below average for him like 20 points per game on 45% shooting the heat would’ve won. D wade was easily better than dirk, like the video said. 41% from a 7 footer is garbage, stop it.

[@ckobo84]

Personally I think the MVP should always go to someone on the winning team. If your team lost you were of no real value.

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

@@ckobo84 thats BS, I do agree on it should always go to the winning team, but when your team loses, what do you mean you were of no real value?

[@anthonyurso3554]

@@jamarreid1082e have to take into consideration he was also sick. And barely missed a free throw. Something that is very underrated and not taken into consideration. MJ and Kobe were great at drawing fouls and getting to free throw line. Racking up points and Simultaneously contributing the opposing team in foul trouble or fouling out star players. Dirk played really well

[@Jutrzen]

@@theonlygoodonehere2259 That means if you got 50 points and your team loses, you didn't got enough.

[@killadiator1014]

I have to give it to lebron in 2017. That stat line is too insane

[@Mrjo.5150]

FR

[@freddiecolon7948]

ThanQ! Great work Great listening Keep ii going

[@faltenbacher]

great video 🙌🏼 but it seems a little repetitive, if you would have seperated it to 5 vids, i think you would have gotten a lot more klicks and watched minutes but still great 🙌🏼 thanks for the work you put in 🙏🏼

[@MadSUPANOVA]

This review is excellent.

[@elgorillo]

Amazing video man, congratulations

[@adama2292]

Great video Jonny, agreed on basically every picks outside of '17 LeBron (the fact that he had a positive +/- in a 5 game series he lost against the 17 Warriors is pretty great). Really appreciated the 2011 pick, Wade series has always been forgotten that year since people love to repeat the narrative about 2011 Dirk (who was really great in the Western playoffs but had just a good Finals). However, I think your use of statistics isn't always perfect. FG% shouldn't be used as an efficiency metric when TS exists and is simply better at evaluating how efficient of a scorer you are. Would be nice to use points per 75 possessions and/or adjust for pace, it doesn't change the series by series analysis but it's better for historical context in my opinion. Regarding Unseld, while I think Hayes was more deserving of the FMVP, it's worth mentioning that basically from the 50s to the late 70s, basketball was way more different than we think. The lack of spacing, no 3PT line and the strict ball handling rules for example severely limited guards, so it explains the shaky efficiency many of them had. Also, while today we think of the classic superstar to be a ball dominant guard that can do it all offensively (and whose defense isn't that concerning since it can be hidden on good teams), in that era, coaching and rules made it that a player like Bill Russell or Wes Unseld was WAY more valuable than the box score suggest. When you have literally no 3PT shots, elite shot blockers' value on a team logically skyrockets since the only valuable/efficient shots are the one near the rim. Unseld is an even weirder case since he really was an all-time defender, rebounder, screener, outlet passer aka all things that are not really catching attention. I'm not arguing for him ahead of Hayes in 78 because that Hayes was also a monster on the defensive end. It's simply something that people often miss when arguing about Russell, Walton, Unseld and many more (not a coincidence that almost every title winning team during the 60s-70s featured a great defensive/rebounding big man with good passing, but their scoring ranges from 67 Wilt to 78 Unseld)

[@fortynights1513]

I could see those points. You bring up that people think of superstar guards as ball dominant players who aren’t great at defense, well one thing that someone once said to me recently is that today most of the best defensive point guards are role players. Not sure how accurate that is, but it’s something I’ve heard people say.

[@jameslearing970]

I agree and think 2018 is an even bigger case for LeBron

[@adama2292]

@@fortynights1513 I think the only exception today is Jrue (or PG if you consider him a SG), since they're both all-defensive caliber guards and also all-star caliber players. I think it also applies to bigmen, a dude like Bam or Gobert from his DPOY days would be even more valuable in an era with less space. Even someone like Marc Gasol in his prime could have been considered as a near superstar with a coach maximising him in an era like the 90s (way less spacing but 'shooting' big men already started to be a thing)

[@paquinraino8180]

@@adama2292 Bam and Gobert are not as impactful as Ad and Giannis defensively, they just have less responsibility.

[@adama2292]

@@paquinraino8180 could you explain why, especially giannis and gobert

[@buckblackbbz4654]

Man this is a great video 💯 Bro I grew up watching a lot of these, I wish the NBA can make some statistical corrections such as that Timmy D quadruple double To be honest I can't disagree with any of the changes..

[@jlbg33]

Great video! I'm actually making my own 75 list and this plus the real reg mvp list is helping too! I wonder if you have ever thought of redoing the DPOY?

[@jonnyarnett]

I have thought about it! It would be much harder tbh, because so few defensive stats have been tracked, so its based a lot on my own memory when I was watching. I could go back as far as the 90s, but any earlier than that would be extremely difficult to do legitimately

[@rosendah]

Do you plan on including pre-1969? I know the award didn't exist, but it won't stop you from giving your opinion. I'd love to see how many finals MVPs you think Russell would have, as I think the lack of those accolades hurt his position in all-time rankings. Edited a misspelled word

[@ikennaonyegbula5134]

Very true!

[@evertonmcintosh9908]

Man U are a basketball 🏀 genius I come to your page religiously for😅 nba info ℹ️

[@MatiGamefut]

On the 2005 finals Manu Ginobilli had a real chance with 18.7 pts - 6 rebounds - 4 ast and 1.3 steals per game with a 50% FG. With a cluth game 7 being the best player on that game with similar stats that Duncan but with a crazy FG% of 61%. Crazy that you not even name him on this video.

[@nydibs]

Manu should’ve won mvp one year for sure, vs Detroit he was their key player Tony Parker didn’t deserve it the year he won, one should’ve went to Duncan

[@JCmeister9]

Although I agree with you that Manu should've won it, I also don't have a problem with giving it to Duncan, as the way I see it you can not go wrong with either in my opinion. Duncan was as valuable, if not more in that series. Seeing as Duncan had to contend with constant double teams the whole Finals and facing both Ben and Rasheed Wallace was super tough. But he also anchored their defense, which Manu's impact is significantly less valuable than Duncan.

[@JCmeister9]

@@nydibs I disagree, Parker was clearly the best player in that Finals as evidenced by the numbers alone. Just watch this part of the video as it says it all 52:13 - 52:41. But if that wasn't enough, even Duncan admitted that he had no shot to win it over Parker as he was questioned about not winning it that year.

[@kleenosena6831]

that’s the reason i stopped watching the video, not even mentioning manu who clearly won the championship on that game 7. i like this channel but with that one i clearly lost a reason to continue watching.

[@ThisIsHustleCentral]

One thing I said when watching this is that it didn’t add value for players coming through in the most important moments. But this is a lot of information to review, not perfect content but still a great video.

[@tech-no-logictech9743]

Disagree on 2020: AD'd performance was way more important. Whenever he had an off game the Lakers lost.

[@dynamicflashy]

What a fantastic video!

[@SkylineR33mt]

Best Nba KZbinr easy imo. Perfect mix of simple explanations combined with the technical aspects of the game in such an easy to understand way all while very well spoken. Keep it up bro from Australia 🇦🇺

[@sammm1325]

BRO ONLY HAS 150k subs. Most underrated basketball youtuber

[@fortynights1513]

In the 2002 segment, you made a comment that doesn’t make sense when all the videos are combined (the beginning of this video has turned into a Shaq appreciation segment). Great video today!

[@dougdickason]

Jordan actually guarded Magic more than Pippen did tbroughout the 91 finals despite Pippen being moved onto Magic in game 2..

[@gregorylattimore7903]

Really I have to re watch it

[@dougdickason]

@@gregorylattimore7903 thats according to a video i watched where Jordan spent more total time on Magic than Pip which i always thought that after game one Pip spent more time on him, which may be true too.

[@UncleNate713]

Nice video man i love these

[@210Dinero]

Hold up, Larry had 15 rebounds a game in a Finals? 🫠

[@nicolasfierro2143]

that’s not even that crazy?

[@ktapreswreckd921v9]

2016 Finals.Have mercy James! What a complete performance.

[@blowc1612]

Hakeem has to be the most underrated player of all time. He deseves top 10.

[@tperfect7241]

I always forget how much of a beast west was.

[@carrastealth]

Gonna keep the 2015 FInals MVP and give that to Steph. LeBron put up the stats of 35/13/8 but he shot 39% from the field in the process and if his name wasn't "LeBron James" people would have been comparing those numbers to Westbrook instead. Where they are big numbers, but the lack of efficiency winds up being costly. Consider the fact as well that Klay Thompson didn't show up that series and the fact that Andre Igoudala was the 2nd best player on the Warriors that Finals tells you everything. Steph had to carry, a lot more than he's given credit for in that series and if you look at the stats of both teams it was the most evenly matched Finals series that LeBron has likely been in since the "Big 3 eras" began. It was literally a showdown between Steph and LeBron as to who could carry their team over the jump. LeBron's inefficiency came back to bite him, and Steph was able to bring his team over the hump in the crucial game of that series. So Steph gets it on his efficiency and the fact that when the teams were statistically even, either he or LeBron had to be the one to take their team over the hump and Curry did, whilst LeBron did not and LeBron's 39% from the field shouldn't be overlooked. Again, if his name was Russell Westbrook and not LeBron James, the discussion on what he 'deserves' wouldn't be happening. I'd also give the 2020 Finals MVP to Anthony Davis. Because while he and LeBron were close on their offensive numbers, Davis was at the same time putting up a DPOY effort on defense, and since both sides of the ball count, I'll have to give the edge to Davis even if its just slight because of what he did on the offensive end AND the defensive end. I also gotta give Kareem the 1980 Finals MVP over Magic. Why? Because I think he deserved it, but also I gotta keep you consistent to what you said later in the video about why you have the Finals MVP award to Magic and not Worthy 24:10 "Although he may have had the best individual game which just happened to be the most crucial game, it seemed pretty clear Magic was the best player overall throughout the vast majority of the series." If you are going to use that logic to give Magic the Finals MVP over Worthy vs Detroit.. then to stay consistent you'd have to give that same credit to Kareem and call Magic the one that had "the best individual performance" and Kareem was "the best player overall throughout the vast majority of the series." To keep things consistent with the logic you presented, Kareem gets the Finals MVP in 1980 if Magic gets it in 1988.

[@dododump3144]

In 2015 Lebron obviously had the more load. I’m not sure why you even compared their teams when lebrons was obviously worse. The only reason that steph could possibly be over Lebron in the finals that year is efficiency not “who could carry their team over the hump”. In 2020 Lebron was the best. He was the clear best offensive player, better scorer, better playmaker than AD while being a clear positive on Defense.

[@phillyphan1346]

hahahaha... this is the most casual take from a MJ fan I think I have ever seen. Seriously, never post about basketball again. I am embarrassed for you.

[@TheBronzeBomber38]

@@phillyphan1346 Did MJ shoot under 40% FG in the Finals ?

[@phillyphan1346]

@@TheBronzeBomber38 Did MJ play any great teams ever in the Finals? No, he did not. The best team he played was the Utah Jazz, whose best players were a PG and a C, while the other 3 starters were Jeff Hornacek, Greg Ostertag, & Byron Russell. MJ played nobodies in the finals and the 90's talent is not remotely comparable to now. The 2017 & 2018 Warriors were far better than anyone MJ's Bulls played and were better than MJ's Bulls. SHHHH

[@TheBronzeBomber38]

@@phillyphan1346 I’m pretty sure Stockton, Malone, Jeff Hornaceck, Osertag and Russell are better than Dirk, JJ Barea, 38 year old Jason Kidd , Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion lol. I’m pretty sure they’re better than Jimmy Butler, Adebayo and a bunch of role players I don’t remember lol.

[@kennethli8]

Shawn Kemp guarded Jordan in parts of the Finals and actually prevented Jordan from scoring while resulting in easy, very high percentage baskets for other Bulls teammates.

[@dougdickason]

What? Payton was on Jordan most of the time with Hawkins and Wingate guarding him moreso the first few games but Kemp didnt do anything with Jordan.

[@ChillydontCap]

@@dougdickason sure wasn't. Pretty sure Kemp had Pippen.

[@ChillydontCap]

@@dougdickason and this is why Jordan is the ghost of the NBA. People often romanticize his play. The Glove had Jordan so frustrated, it was the one series the Bulls were in danger. Kemp definitely outplayed Jordan.

[@dougdickason]

@@ChillydontCap i wasnt arguing if Kemp outplayed Jordan. The post i was disputing said that Kemp guarded Jordan and kept him from scoring. Who romanticizes Jordans play and how is he a ghost? I think,especially recently, people are on a major agenda to downplay, discredit and find any hole they can poke into Jordans career because they are romanticizing Lebrons career. It wasnt Jordans best finals, but thats only because its being compared to what he normally did.

[@m.j.w.2876]

@@ChillydontCap that entire finals is on here, KZbin. Jordan was doubled nearly every time he touched the ball so let's stop acting like GP was on an island guarding dude, not to mention GP was that yrs DPOY

[@chancelinder]

So glad you gave 2011 to Dwade. Bron wasted a year of Dwade’s prime with that loss.

[@TerryT0114]

I loved that 96 Sonics team, saw them live in game 7 against the Jazz game 4 against the Bulls, regular season against the Bulls an a whole bunch of other games. Never saw them lose in the building that season. They were for real. But, not as good as the Bulls in the end... I still love that team.

[@jeremiahhoward3042]

Great documentary

[@GGWolfPackForever2]

I agree with pretty much the entire video except for 2014, Kawhi still deserved the MVP as he absolutely outplayed Lebron in games 3,4, and 5 that series. Still a great video as usual💯

[@johng4099]

Lebron’s stats that series don’t tell the full story at all. A lot of his points he scored when his team was already being blown out with zero chance of winning.

[@GGWolfPackForever2]

@@johng4099 Exactly! Anyone who actually watched the series knows Lebron statpadded once the Heat were down 15-20 points

[@mauricedavis1740]

Lebron definitely wasn’t the best player in that series. Great numbers but those numbers had zero impact on the series. The heat got blown out by a record margin in the finals..

[@KIWILEMONADE123]

@@GGWolfPackForever2whether he didn’t deserve it or whether he did you expect for lebron or any player to not score after being blown out i dont get it.. thats not padding stats wtf you dont know basketball.. if lebron aint score while getting blown out yall complain about him not doin so or how little he scored .. yall cant have it both ways

[@GGWolfPackForever2]

@@KIWILEMONADE123 when Lebron wins its cause he carried everyone and he’s called the greatest, when Lebron loses its cause his team was horrible and didn’t help him even though Lebron handpicks his team….”yAlL cAnT hAvE iT bOtH wAyS” 🤡

[@blowc1612]

MJs down year in the 96 finals is due to the fact it was the first finals he played without his dad, and with father's day happening in game 6, he was filled with so much emotion in that series and that's why he broke down after winning it.

[@Bigedub101]

Kareem in 1985 to me still keeps his reward and in 1980 i almost wanna say Kareem should keep jt

[@johnsalchichon4142]

Manu in 2005 For me. He was more crucial than Tim Duncan in 3 of the 4 games tha San Antonio won. He had an incredibly efficency compares to the normal one of duncan, also an amazing defense and was the clutchest player in the entire serie by far. He lead San antonio in Assist and steals too.

[@frizzyrascal1493]

Manu def. deserved the Finals MVP for game 3 and 4 alone, since they went up against one of the best defensive teams of all time.

[@connormacleod1490]

Without TD getting so much attention defense, Manu would not scored as much. Duncam deserve the fmvp.

[@christiansoldier77]

@@connormacleod1490 You dont get MVP for being a decoy . Manu was the MVP because Duncan was subpar

[@paquinraino8180]

@@christiansoldier77 You get the FMVP for your production AND impact so yeah TD keep it same for Willis Reed for me, Arrett don't put enough context around his FMVP ( there a reason why Wilt won a FMVP when Reed was injured and not when Reed was playing )

[@davidtharp2125]

You’ve got the voice for this.

[@No_Budget.Builds]

If blocks and steals were tracked his whole career I 100% belive Wilt would had tons of triple doubles and maybe even a quadruple double or 2

[@sparkygameryt8748]

Wilt has a quintuple double aka 5 stats as double digits

[@wemakecookie]

To me, Lebron was the best player over Durant in the 2017 and 2018 finals. This is despite his team being completely overmatched, meaning warriors defense can focus mostly on stopping Lebron, while the Cavs have to stop the 3 headed monster of Durant, Curry, and Klay. This leads Durant to have an easier time scoring and assisting to all-time great shooters. And still in 2017 Lebron put up comparable scoring though less efficient than Durant, but averaged per game 4 more rebounds and 5 more assists. In 2018 they had similar efficiency, but Lebron averaged 5 more points and 2.5 more assists, 2 less rebounds. Though Durant played amazing and had 9% better TS% in 2017, 2% better in 2018. Lebron played even better overall averaging much more rebounds, assists in 2017. More points and assists in 2018.

[@juju-vl7oj]

In 2018 Durant was only the best player on the court in game 3. Both 2017 and 2018 Durant had these big late 3s in game 3 to help put the Warriors up 3-0 to pretty much end the Cavs chances.. but like many people feel it's hard to be that impressed with KD in those series because of how much help he had. Would the Warriors have beaten the Cavs without KD, probably not but did the Warriors need KD to play great to win? No his contributions were a luxury not a necessity. Lebron to have any chance to win had to play nearly perfect as a necessity and vs a team as great on both ends as those Warriors were , replace Lebron with anyone in history and it just wouldn't be realistic that they could be better than 33 12 and 10 on 56% or 34 8 and 10 on 52%. I think LeBron was actually playing at a higher level than Jordan in his 2nd 3peat for the 2016-2018 playoffs but the obstacle that was the Warriors was far beyond what Jordan had in front of him. Lebron was arguably the best player in 8 of 10 Finals. The only Finals he wasn't great was his first 2 2007 and 2011.

[@nydibs]

Lebron got a lot of his stats in garbage time. KD was the best player in those series and it wasn’t even close KD was also the best player in the okc-Miami finals

[@joel8692]

​@@nydibs yup they forgot brons cavs got swept in 18 and he lost all hope for winning the series after JR messed up in game 1 and he just started solo on offense in games they were Lossing by alot. Durant hit huge shots in his grill time after time in crunch time

[@poly_g6068]

@@joel8692 It's not hard to hit huge shots when you have no pressure to make them with two of the greatest shooters in NBA history on both sides of you.

[@emil2683]

In 2017 yes,in 2018 no. First of all Lebron played 45 mpg and kd only 41. This could explain why he had more points. Lebron averaged 5 turnovers per game, kd only 2. So kd was much better at handling the ball. Plus kd was better defensively averaging 2.3 blocks per game(more than any other player in this series). Lebron averaged only 1. They both averaged around 1 steal per game. All in all I think kd deserved it in 2018.

[@SalvationofYAH]

Thanks Jonny for recognizing Shawn Kemp in the 96 Finals. He truly breasted that entire series

[@italoinacio4901]

Nice video, But i have to disagree with KD in 2017 and 2018, although Durant had amazing numbers what Lebron did in 2017 was just absurd(the only triple double average in finals history) and in 2018 he had very similar numbers especially considering that Cavs had a terrible defense in both finals making Durant's job much easier, while Warriors had elite defense so it was harder for Lebron to score

[@emil2683]

In 2017 I agree Lebron was better but not in 2018. First of all in 2018 Lebron played 45 mpg and kd only 41. This could explain why he had more points. Lebron averaged 5 turnovers per game, kd only 2. So kd was much better at handling the ball. Plus kd was better defensively averaging 2.3 blocks per game(more than any other player in this series). Lebron averaged only 1. They both averaged around 1 steal per game. All in all I think kd deserved it in 2018

[@shorewall]

@@emil2683 KD wasn't better at handling the ball than Lebron. He wasn't handling the ball. How many turnovers do you think he should have, when he is getting passed the ball for an open 3 or dunk? I've seen clips of defenses letting KD go to the hoop uncontested in transition because they are sprinting to Curry at the 3 pt line. Lebron on the other hand, was the point guard. The ball was always in his hand. He made the offense go, just like a Steve Nash or Jason Kidd. KD, in comparison, was a finisher, like a Ray Allen or a Amare Stoudemire. Opposing defenses had to worry about Curry and Klay raining down fire, and Draymond dishing on the short roll. KD may have been the best player on the Warriors, but they won a championship before and after him. Whereas Lebron willed those Cavs teams to the Finals, and even with a healthy Kyrie and Love, those Cavs teams aren't as strong and deep as those Warriors teams.

[@anthonyurso3554]

@@emil2683plus KD was above 50,40,90 I think it’s deserving to give to KD

[@TomCruz54321]

KD is definitely the best player in those two series. A couple more rebounds or assists doesn't matter that much when it's that close. Scoring and efficiency are more important to me and KD had that. KD was definitely the best player in the world those times and people want to forget about it because of KD's tarnished reputation.

[@bernardosanchez9303]

Great video! Only one thing, the 2020 NBA finals was a 6 games series not 5 games

[@mihaildraganov1045]

Great video. Personally I'd give the edge in the 2017 (I mean that was a 30+pt triple double in the finals :D) and possibly even the 2018 to Lebron over KD. It's just that I watched these series and I personally got the feeling that Lebron was the most dangerous guy on the court. KD was also absolutely amazing... You can't really go wrong with either of them.

[@kevind9163]

I've also watched those series and KD was definitely the most dangerous guy on the court.You'll go wrong giving the MVPs to someone else.

[@justincarreras7753]

@@kevind9163 Nope

[@shorewall]

@@kevind9163 I've watched clips of teams getting back in transition and letting KD go to the Hoop because they are sprinting to Curry at the 3pt line. KD was helped because he had another MVP opening things up for him. And yet Lebron's numbers were borderline or more impressive than KD's. Maybe if KD put up 40, or shut down Lebron he'd be seen as better.

[@mauricedavis1740]

@@justincarreras7753 yup..

[@mauricedavis1740]

@@kevind9163 that’s a fact..

[@donaldtillman4351]

Bird shot 41% from the field. And he had 2 horrible games and was the reason that they lost those games. Maxwell didn't want to take anymore chances and came into the locker room and told the team to get on his back in game 5 and he took them home. Which he did. MVP Maxwell

[@21schznoidjimmy]

Jonny ur the goat frl

[@dominikseebeck4879]

KD over Lebron is OD. Lebron was easily the best player in both of those series. He was the entire cavs roster in 2018 as well

[@Telecasterland]

This is the greatest breakdown of MVP in history.

[@warreno.bryant4406]

This is the best series u ever did

[@mootjeelmi8835]

my man jonny i like the video but wassup with the change in your voice when talking about 2020 hahaha

[@jonnyarnett]

Lol. It’s because this video is a compilation video. Different parts of the audio were recorded at different times and in different places, so they audio makes some weird transitions at times 😂

[@BigE1293]

While those 2017-2018 Finals weren't very fun to watch if you weren't a Cavs/Warriors fan, they were extremely fun if you were a Durant/Lebron fan. They were both playing the best offensive basketball of their careers (and you can even argue Durant was playing some of the best defense of his career too)

[@juju-vl7oj]

In 2017 the Warriors went 67-15 load managing. The Warriors went on a 13 game winning streak with Durant injured and they lost very few games when their big 4 of KD, Steph, Klay , Draymond were playing. 2018 Cavs were completely carried by Lebron just to get through a weak East. The Warriors weren't as good as the year before but both years as a Lebron fan I didn't find those Finals fun at all lol Would the Warriors have won without KD? Probably not, but did the Warriors really need KD to play as good as he did in order to win? Absolutely not. Lebron playing nearly perfect like in game 1 of the 2018 Finals was basically a necessity for a game to even be close. KD playing great wasn't a necessity it was a luxury to make the series win easier.

[@shorewall]

@@juju-vl7oj For real, by this video's criteria, I give both those years to Lebron over KD. KD needed to score 40, or shut Lebron down, in order to say that he was the best player in those finals. I watched a clip that showed the defense letting KD go uncontested to the hoop because they were sprinting to Curry at the 3 pt line. KD had it easy, and didn't blow my mind away with his stats. Lebron had it hard, and equaled or surpassed KD's stats in my opinion. People always wanted KD to be the guy, but he ain't. He's Gervin. A scorer.

[@blackjoker234]

I always love your videos because it’s objectively viewed and not biased. I just think that LeBron in 2017 & 2018 should’ve gotten both of them because of what he was dealing with and he still carried the Cavs and put up ridiculous numbers. He’s always shouldered so much throughout his career.

[@jean8092]

Also even if LeBron didnt win FMVPs on 2017 and 2018, he'd have 6 over Jordan's 5? We all know LeBron lost a lot but in majority of the Finals he's in, he fought hard even on a losing effort.

[@feynmanschwingere_mc2270]

BRON PLAYED ZERO DEFENSE ON KD, THE OPPOSING SF. Kyrie OUTSCORED and OUTPLAYED Curry in 2017 (and in 2016 btw). Bronsexuals ALWAYS leave out the fact that Kyrie OUTPLAYED Curry in the Finals BOTH in 2016 AND in 2017. They conveniently leave out the fact that Kyrie, Love, Jr Smith OUTSCORED Curry, Klay, Draymond BOTH IN 2016 AND IN 2017. But bRoN dOeSnT hAvE eNoUgh hElP, nObOdY wAs bEaTiBNg tHoSe kD wArRioRs even though Toronto did it (injuries are always part of the game, injuries to Ben Wallace is the only reason Bron went Super Saiyan in Detroit in 2007 because Detroit's rim protection went from top 5 to bottom 5 - go look at Bron's career stats when Ben Wallace is on the court vs off the court, since you Bronsexuals LOVE stats so much) and Houston almost did it. Marc Gasol, one of the 15+ all stars LeEPO has played with in his career. Fun Fact. An NBA RECORD. Just like the TURNOVER RECORD he set in 2019, (4 years and counting) and the MISSED FREE THROW RECORD he set. Dude wants to celebrated for all the good stats but none of the egregious ones, just like he wants ALL THE CREDIT for when they win and NONE of the blame for when they lose. Cherry pick, post hoc fallacious reasoning. Just like in 2007: Kobe BEATS the Spurs with that EXACT same Cavs team. Big Z (taller than Pau and a superior contested rebounder than Pau) had multiple all stars under his belt and is widely considered the 3rd greatest center in Cavs history behind Nate thurmond, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Bobby Gibson WHO OUTSCORED LEBRON in that series, cmon, in a series that was decided by 6ppg? Lebron is the biggest excuse maker. Kobe and MJ came in the league with an efficient mid range shot. Kobe and MJ shoot in the 60% on UNCONTESTED midrange attempts. That is a SKILL that cannot be captured in the final box scores but it warps how defenses have to play you and the kind of resources teams have to devote to you. Lebron shoots below 39% outside of dunks. Which is why he needs at least 2 All Stars/2 HOF Caliber teammates on every championship team or he CANNOT win.

[@feynmanschwingere_mc2270]

@@jean8092 BRON PLAYED ZERO DEFENSE ON KD, THE OPPOSING SF. Kyrie OUTSCORED and OUTPLAYED Curry in 2017 (and in 2016 btw). Bronsexuals ALWAYS leave out the fact that Kyrie OUTPLAYED Curry in the Finals BOTH in 2016 AND in 2017. They conveniently leave out the fact that Kyrie, Love, Jr Smith OUTSCORED Curry, Klay, Draymond BOTH IN 2016 AND IN 2017. But bRoN dOeSnT hAvE eNoUgh hElP, nObOdY wAs bEaTiBNg tHoSe kD wArRioRs even though Toronto did it (injuries are always part of the game, injuries to Ben Wallace is the only reason Bron went Super Saiyan in Detroit in 2007 because Detroit's rim protection went from top 5 to bottom 5 - go look at Bron's career stats when Ben Wallace is on the court vs off the court, since you Bronsexuals LOVE stats so much) and Houston almost did it. Marc Gasol, one of the 15+ all stars LeEPO has played with in his career. Fun Fact. An NBA RECORD. Just like the TURNOVER RECORD he set in 2019, (4 years and counting) and the MISSED FREE THROW RECORD he set. Dude wants to celebrated for all the good stats but none of the egregious ones, just like he wants ALL THE CREDIT for when they win and NONE of the blame for when they lose. Cherry pick, post hoc fallacious reasoning. Just like in 2007: Kobe BEATS the Spurs with that EXACT same Cavs team. Big Z (taller than Pau and a superior contested rebounder than Pau) had multiple all stars under his belt and is widely considered the 3rd greatest center in Cavs history behind Nate thurmond, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Bobby Gibson WHO OUTSCORED LEBRON in that series, cmon, in a series that was decided by 6ppg? Lebron is the biggest excuse maker. Kobe and MJ came in the league with an efficient mid range shot. Kobe and MJ shoot in the 60% on UNCONTESTED midrange attempts. That is a SKILL that cannot be captured in the final box scores but it warps how defenses have to play you and the kind of resources teams have to devote to you. Lebron shoots below 39% outside of dunks. Which is why he needs at least 2 All Stars/2 HOF Caliber teammates on every championship team or he CANNOT win.

[@tpc1416]

You describing how good Lebron was in 2014 is precisely why Kawhi deserved it that year.

[@artemisfowl2182]

For 2022 I would have loved a two way wiggs shout out, he was just awesome

[@mateusloni]

disagreed with 17 and 18 only, great video

[@bradenstewart6270]

Lord why have you blessed us so well we don’t deserve this

[@zojirushi1]

You should’ve done a graphic at the end showing who would have the most fmvps now. As well as how many more fmpvs people won/lost. Just like you did in the mvp recap video.

[@McGomezAddams]

LeBron with 6

[@tpsam]

Drop a like on the video you now this guy has been working like crazy this month

[@Job.Well.Done_01]

I’m stoned and the background music is AMAZING in my headphones! 🔥🔌

[@Hardrada_1066]

I'm not sure your tally in the description is quite right - I believe you gave Shaq the '04 one for example, but he only has 3 on your tally. Either way, thanks for putting this out!

[@jonnyarnett]

You’re right. He should have 4. That’s an easy fix. Thanks for pointing that out!

[@tommyleefunderburg7766]

Kevin McHale is one of the most underrated players of all time and that's the honest-to-god truth there is an underrated player of all time it is Kevin McHale he did not make Larry Bird a better player but at the same time they wouldn't have won the games they did without Kevin McHale

[@CareFreeCommuting]

2:07 West limping after ft and massive triple double, impressive.

[@jit1709]

do top 10 playoff performances but not just one game but over the course of a series instead of just a game like you did in the video a couple days ago

[@fortynights1513]

One that would deserve mention in my opinion for that kind of list would be Michael Jordan's 1988 first round: 45.2 points per game on 63.2% true shooting, along with 5.4 rebounds per game, 4.8 assists per game, 2.8 steals per game, and 1.6 blocks per game. Sure, it was a first round matchup against the 1988 Cavaliers who have no Hall of Famers; but the fact remains they were the second best defense that year by points, and fifth by defensive rating, and MJ put up the second highest per game point average against them.

[@justinmunson1412]

Sonics in the 90s really should have made more finals they were definitely the best team when Jordan left and they choked and Hakeem was unstoppable for two straight years.

[@ktapreswreckd921v9]

Agreed. The Sonics were championship caliber in 93 as well.

[@TomCruz54321]

Yeah the Sonics were cooking everybody before Hakeem took over. They were scary and I really thought they would have a longer run. But the West was just too stacked man. Phoenix, San Antonio, Seattle, Houston all had valid claim for Best in the West. Not to mention Utah and the Lakers would join the melee a couple of years later.

[@VinceWhitacre]

I feel like nobody remembers Walt Frazier these days. He was retired by the time I started watching in the mid '80s, but he was still very well known as one of the great guards, he was in commercials and everything... these days I hardly ever hear about Clyde unless I'm watching one of your videos.

[@markjackson6431]

a video on Dream Team 2 (94 FIBA Team) Please

[@marcellkristoffauszt5444]

I love to hear when someone gives some love and respect for Tim Duncan

[@chrisrodsa210]

This list especially during the Laker's run in the 2000s shows why Tim Duncan's career was better than Kobe's.

[@thepsalmsman]

You should provide a summary sheet at the end...

[@sarahsloot2290]

I watched film on the Unseld MVP, puzzling, unseld set some nice picks. :)

[@teddythegod1919]

A hour? My workday just got that much better.

[@Vexer2207]

Jonny Arnett's Best Finals MVPs: Lebron - 6 Magic - 5 Jordan - 5 Shaq - 4 Duncan - 3 Bird - 3 West - 2 Kareem - 2 Hakeem - 2 Kobe - 2 Wade - 2 Durant - 2 Wilt - 1 Frazier - 1 Barry - 1 Cowens - 1 Erving - 1 Hayes - 1 Johnson - 1 Moses - 1 Dumars - 1 Thomas - 1 Kemp - 1 Parker - 1 Garnett - 1 Kawhi - 1 Giannis - 1 Curry - 1

[@BillyGat0s]

great video. Based on stats, 2017 lebron by a moderate margin, 2018 lebron by a small margin

[@Ben_XK]

With how shaq and kobe played in their 3peat. It's more like Shaq's superman to Kobe's batman tbh🤷‍♂️

[@nayyabmughal1123]

bro you need to do the best player in the payoffs video as well, some players played better in round 1 and some do in other.

[@KamrenMCOC]

I'll admit that for the past few months, I've been saying that steph is #1 pg ever, but after you explained what magic was doing in the finals, i have changed my mind completely. Never realised he made that much of an impact. I thought he was just a good passer

[@gregoryharlston0602]

It's funny. People who really never saw Magic play don't appreciate how great he was! Steph is amazing but Magic was on another level!

[@KamrenMCOC]

@gregoryharlston2948 I have mj over lebron and I've actually watched some of mj games on KZbin so not just highlights and I think I'm gonna do the same for magic now because I knew he was great but I assumed kareem did most the work. (Also magic robbed jordan of mvp)

[@bigceo6333]

Amazing

[@catherinelynnfraser2001]

This is going to be 🔥 and it’s going to be rematched.

[@jte3209]

Probably worth mentioning kawhi’s defence in his 2014 FMVP evaluation.

[@colewrld901]

I disagree about the 1980 finals mvp. Definitely should've been Kareem. He was so dominant.

[@johnniecale]

Kareem was the obvious choice. Sadly, 40 years later, that’s used as a knock against Kareem.