The 5 Biggest Finals MVP SNUBS

[@jonnyarnett]

What's the biggest Finals MVP snub you've seen?

[@colewrld901]

Kareem. They have it to magic because of that amazing game 6 but Kareem easily should've been the finals mvp based on how he was destroying the 76ers

[@muizmin]

Ur no.1 in the vid is clearly it Now i wanna drop a hot take: Kg shoulda won the fmvp in 2008

[@leosmit8612]

Kawhi over Timmy and manu vs mia

[@Jaymack12]

Iggy over Curry in 2015.

[@paulpierce9558]

Wes Unseld over Elvin Hayes and he also robbed Willis Reed of MVP in his rookie year.

[@RobertHochstadt]

The unfortunate thing about Hayes not winning the finals MVP is that his wildly underrated career really could have used a boost like a finals MVP

[@professionalcurrysexual9289]

yep

[@TheChosenMoose01]

I disagree. Most people say Elvin is the greatest Washington Bullet/Wizard of all time, and that is without an MVP and Finals MVP

[@Supreme36074]

@@TheChosenMoose01 the man never said he should be considered the Bullets best player ever had he won. He just said he would be looked at differently.

[@TheChosenMoose01]

@@Supreme36074 I still have to disagree. Even if he won the finals mvp, he'd still be underrated since he was a 70's player, and most 70's players tend to be underrated.

[@stanleykwan7759]

They did something similar in his MVP season too. His teammate Earl Monroe almost doubled his points and assists and wasn't even considered a candidate. Willis Reed had way better stats than Unseld and his team only won 3 fewer games but in the end Unseld won the award. The voters must have really loved him for some reason.

[@silvianosanchez8430]

I really respect that even though Worthy is your second favorite player, you can say he did not deserve the Finals MVP. Not many people can do that.

[@maryshaw9541]

This might be a hot take but I think Kareem deserved it in 1980. Despite Magic's brilliant game 6 when Kareem went down Kareem carried the Lakers to their first 3 wins in that series. In the Lakers first 3 wins Kareem Averaged 35.3 points to win by a combine 22 points across 3 games. Some key Stats; KAREEM: 33.4 PPG, 13.6 RBS, 3.2 AST, 0.6 STL, 4.6 BLK, 52% FG MAGIC: 21.5 PPG, 11.2 RBS, 8.7 AST, 2.7 STL, 0.3 BLK, 57% FG

[@hernanbenitez2828]

Yes it was stated that the voters were gonna give kareem the award but they didnt want to give it to him cuz he wasnt there and out injured. Thats why magic was chosen

[@demitremorekis8550]

Not a hot take at all. I was going to bring this one up, but you beat me to it.

[@tj5180]

Kareem was obviously the clear best player

[@davidschmidt1793]

Not a hot take at all. Anyone who's watched that finals knows who the better player was and it was Kareem

[@rafikz77]

Not a hot take at all

[@gavinbaskette4701]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but if I remember correctly, lebron and the cavs were up 2-1 and lebron was averaging 41 ppg. THAT’S when the warriors made the move to make Iggy the primary defender on Lebron. Over the next three games, lebron’s scoring average dropped from 41 ppg to 30.7 ppg and just 39% from the field, while the warriors won three straight games

[@gavinbaskette4701]

That plus being the second best offensive player and on good efficiency I believe is the reason why iggy was given the award over curry

[@peamut547]

Yeah, people seem to forget that we were witnessing an Andre Iguodala who went back into his prime that series.

[@romanramirez7847]

@@peamut547 And Steph was still outplaying him in every game Iggy started. Iggy getting it was a 100% narrative driven thing. The Warriors winning when he was starting was the perfect narrative for the NBA to use.

[@قرفص]

Yeah that’s really good letting someone drop 31 a game 😂😂😂

[@gavinbaskette4701]

@@romanramirez7847 yeah it’s almost like him starting made a difference…

[@celtics17banners84]

Garnett should have got it in 08. Cant believe they rewarded my guy for pooping his pants and coming back….

[@muizmin]

W

[@gospelpianistguitt]

Facts lmao

[@FuShengAlex]

PP34 had to go against the league MVP Kobe....much tougher than Gssol having stage fright on the big stage.

[@peamut547]

I agree, Poop Pants 34 may have been a better scorer but Garnett was better overall.

[@mongoslade277]

They said Paul Pierce was the 💩. Didn't realize they meant literally

[@draymondgreen6914]

The award going to Iguodola was the NBAs way of giving it to LeBron

[@_M....]

pretty much.

[@hotmealsonwheels4738]

Absolute facts man. Haha. To say someone was, "shut down" while scoring almost a fucking 35 pt triple double tells you all you need to know. And I've heard this narrative that Curry choked....Well if he choked, why did they win??? Obviously a team sport, but he still put up 25, drew the opponents defense to a massive degree, facilitated the offense, and did a halfway decent defensive job. Like Iggy was not THAT good in that series. Lol.

[@Someone-hi1nt]

@@hotmealsonwheels4738 35 pts is very impressive, but keep in mind efficiency is a thing... shotting under 40% from the field when your career average is 50% isnt the greatest indicator

[@prestonasher2291]

I like this point of view

[@facelessandnameless]

@@Someone-hi1nt Agreed. People forget that Lebron shit 39%

[@figo706]

The narrative of Iguodala was also because he started the series off the bench, but when he was in the starting line-up the series momentum swung

[@emjay1249]

Exactly people forget

[@dominicharris5489]

that does not make u a finals mvp.

[@trigun442]

​@@dominicharris5489 it does if your impact was ground shaking which is what Iquodala showed.

[@Jaymack12]

Still shouldn’t have won it.

[@mariosoipsistos6778]

​@@trigun442 even after iguodala started in the last 3 games, curry was far better than him. Everyone forgets the 37 pts in game 5 with the series tied 2-2

[@iDominatemkwii]

Yeah I'm still bewildered by the 2015 MVP vote. I get that Iggy created a spark to get the Warriors going, but you don't hand out awards for momentum swings. Role players step up in the playoffs all the time. It's not a new concept. Curry had a better series than Iggy. And honestly, LeBron's series is very overrated as well. His 35 PPG on below 40% shooting isn't that impressive. The fact that the Cavs went up 2-1 in the series was more about how BAD the Warriors were playing through 3 games than it was LeBron dominating. A LeBron 35 PPG average on 39.8% shooting (without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in the lineup) should have resulted in a Warriors sweep. For some reason the Warriors fell asleep on offense for 3 games. Once they woke up the series wasn't close.

[@codyeble0713]

Didn't help that Curry was struggling with Delly locking him up for most of the series until he got hit, wasn't a good look to let that caliber of player effect your game

[@stanleykwan7759]

@@codyeble0713 It was one game, not most of the series

[@stanleykwan7759]

Iggy played his absolute best, Curry played an average series. But make no mistake, average Curry was still better than Iggy at his best

[@codyeble0713]

@@stanleykwan7759 it was most of the series.. Curry would do nothing then last 4 minutes get hot and put up a quick 18.. the stats are deceiving regardless

[@stanleykwan7759]

@@codyeble0713 That’s straight up false. The only deceiving thing here is you

[@DuranmanX]

I feel like the NBA has tried to make Wes Unseld a thing. He also won the MVP in 1969 as a rookie

[@fortnitejake850]

Anyone who pays attention to the basketball media shouldn’t be surprised that the voters made 2015 about LeBron 😂

[@stizostedion1221]

Remember that Unseld won the ROY (and eventually the MVP) the year Hayes should win it (better stats and better impact on his team). Elvin Hayes is the most snubbed player ever.

[@Supermariohoops24]

You have to put Manu Ginobili in '05 on here, such a colossal robbery... was the best closer and the best player in basically every win while being much more consistent than Duncan in the series too

[@ibadrizvi5740]

Im surprised you didn't mention the 1980 finals where Kareem lead the team for 5 games and then Magic had one of the greatest performance in finals

[@nopir3898]

Magic stole Kareem's fmvp in 1980. Kareem was by far and away the most important player the first 5 games.

[@tmac731]

Yea but he was hurt the most imprudent game and magic dropped 40 15 7 as a rookie

[@joshuachang5210]

@@tmac731 just like in worthy’s case, it’s only one game

[@RoChede]

The series had 6 games. You cannot be "the most important player" when you are not playing the decisive game. Magic was more important simply because he was there.AND replaced Karem, taking over in that game, making it look Karem was not even necessary.

[@muizmin]

​@@joshuachang5210 it's different, Kareem was out for injuries, Worthy not really

[@joshuachang5210]

@@muizmin *Magic not really, but the first 5 games was pretty much a landslide on a game by game basis too

[@eladnaor6099]

Great video! Next do a video (series of videos?) on the Conference's finals MVP retroactively through the ages!

[@northernlight1000]

I would also definitely add 1980, Magic got it over Kareem but it should’ve have definitely been Kareem’s, It’s similar to the James worthy one you had on your list Magic had one of the best playoff performances of all time in the final game after Kareem got injured in the previous game and was out, but Kareem was by farrrrr the most impactful player that series

[@Evan-mp4ev]

Iggy over curry was the worst finals mvp decision ever.

[@lonniehuey5737]

Agreed

[@cjg3986]

Tbh Bron had a good argument for it and I'm not even a Bron rider

[@Evan-mp4ev]

@@cjg3986 fair point

[@ghostaccountlmao]

​@@cjg3986 he lost.

[@tpsam]

​@@ghostaccountlmao he was the runner up Curry was 3rd in voting That's how much no one saw him as MVP because he choked

[@ibadrizvi5740]

I don't know how good Worthys defence was that series ,but considering that hes regarded as a better defender, that probably also played a big role in the voting outcomes

[@penkima4923]

Magic has led the league in steals multiple times, and led the Lakers in steals in those finals. Magic also grabbed more defensive rebounds, and had a better defensive rating than Worthy.

[@iansanchez966]

I didn't remember that Iggy's FT shooting was that bad. Considering that, the Cavs should've just hacked him, make him unplayable and LeBron could have continued to cook all the other defenders Golden State threw at him

[@Chengmaster]

Lebron when he lost in cavs the second time aroubd, especially that one year that he lead BOTH teams in EVERY major statistical category, it was INSANE and showed how poor his team was versus the warrior’s stacked lineup.

[@shamonbest106]

I couldn’t find anything to dispute. Where did/would you rank the 1980 NBA FMVP? Not taking anything away from Magic’s legendary close out game performance, but Kareem was by far the most impactful player in that series until he was injured.

[@rafikz77]

Exactly

[@BasketballJones48021]

Elvin Hayes was, you could say, pretty much hated by the media (shit, even in Washington somewhat).. and sorta of the opposite was the case with Unseld! That’s why Wes won FMVP over Hayes, amongst other things that Elvin didn’t win due to.. mostly what I’ve mentioned. Same thing can be said for Bird… Early in his career he refused to talk to the media and whatnot, so he also didn’t win FMVP pretty much due to that! Yeah, Cornbread scored more (only like 2.4 though), he was much more efficient from the field, more consistent, but like you’ve said, Bird was FAR greater overall.. his playmaking/passing/spacing was miles away, he rebounded MUCH better and provided better hustle plays, he also played better defense. Not to mention, Bird was the one who closed out the series with a great game6 (and very clutch)! Apart from Hayes, Bird, and Curry (who ALL should’ve have won it in the particular years you’ve mentioned)… Bill Russell would’ve had a bunch of FMVP if the award was given out back then, ofc. I think Havlicek should’ve won in 1969 because Jerry was on the losing side, but it was the 1st time with the award so I understand (something that has never happened again)! Frazier should’ve won it in 1973. In 1974, I have no problem with Jo Jo White, even if I would’ve had no problem with Cowens winning it either. I think Kareem probably should’ve won it in 1980, because he was far and away the best player in that series and they don’t get even close to winning it without him, but yeah, he didn’t play game6 (he was coming back for 7 if needed though), and Magic KILLED IT (Wilkes too, people forget).. to close out the series. In 1988, Worthy was worthy of it, so was Magic.. either one would’ve been the correct choice. I think that in 2005, Manu was a good of a choice as Duncan, too. Pierce deserved in 2008 but KG was right there too.

[@significantnobody823]

Another great vid. Love your content

[@acro2324]

Can you make a vid on Elvin Hayes. (If you have time) I love you your breakdowns of players I don’t know much about

[@mongoslade277]

I can tell you about him. Elvin Hayes had possibly the best turnaround jumper ever. Was considered the GOAT of power forwards before Barkley & Karl Malone (I consider Tim Duncan a center). Elvin Hayes was like Tom Glavine & Greg Maddux in the playoffs

[@BigGiraffeMan]

You’re my favorite nba KZbinr and content creator in general rn. I don’t really even watch KZbin too much but I do watch you so keep it up 👍

[@jp3813]

I think what hurt Bird's chances was that he scored 8 points (3-11 fg) in two games of that series. But yes, he was the MVP.

[@penkima4923]

Hurt him by being even with Maxwell? Maxwell had games of 10 points (4/12 FG) and 6 points (3/8 FG) in the series.

[@jp3813]

@@penkima4923 In the first two games, yes. But his scoring bounced back efficiently for the rest of the series as Bird struggled to shoot in games 3 to 5.

[@LegalLatinoHeat]

Thanks Jonny!

[@mrho4speed]

Great video but the biggest snub has to be Kareem in the 1980 Finals where Kareem was voted the FMVP AFTER Magic's great game 6 but because Kareem was not present the voters were asked to change their votes so Magic would win the award. This is covered in the book titled "Kareem" pages 140-141.

[@876Presto]

Curry got snubbed because of the medias infatuation with Lebron James. They couldn’t find away to give him the MVP in a losing effort so they made up a narrative that because of “iggys” defense he deserved to win even though Bron averaged a 35 point triple double. That narrative carried on and made it look like Steph Curry is a finals choker

[@kevinmccabe3984]

Curry was “snubbed” because he shot 5 of 23 in game 2

[@Saberwolves84]

@@kevinmccabe3984Curry still had better overall series

[@penkima4923]

@@Saberwolves84 That's debatable. Steph were the go-to guy for most of the Warriors' plays. Still, Iggy shot better from three, had the better true shooting percentage, and had the better assist to turnover ratio. And grabbed more rebounds, and blocked more. Even though Iggy came from the bench for more than half of the games.

[@Saberwolves84]

@@penkima4923 Iggy had better shooting percentage because he was not asked to shoot much and many of his shots were wide open because they were concentrating on Steph and Klay

[@vicentecampos2893]

Great video, as usual

[@utubeuseronline3385]

Ginobili should’ve been 2005 Finals MVP

[@RobertHochstadt]

Worthy deserved the finals MVP, it's the same reason why Magic won it in 1980. He performed well throughout the series, but when push came to shove he put up one of the greatest games in history in a game 7 against arguably the greatest defense in history. That's what differentiates Finals MVP from regular season MVP, individual games do matter especially when everything's on the line.

[@MikHooper]

so everything magic did in the first 6 games didn't matter? only the last game in a finals series matters? magic majorly outplayed him in almost every other game. only reason magic deserved it in 1980 was because kareem actually didn't play, hurting his total production for the entire series. Magic played in game 7 in 1988, and he played well.

[@RobertHochstadt]

@@MikHooperFinals games should be viewed as weighted averages and game 7 has by far the most weight to it (I'd say at least double the importance of a regular game, so around 30% if not more). Also, let's not forget Worthy was the Lakers' leading scorer, second in rebounds (third in both teams), assists and blocks. Magic did Magic and should have won it in any other situation, but given Worthy's series-wide impact as well as his game 7 performance justify the MVP.

[@davis2k1234]

@@MikHooper Yeah but in 1980 Kareem was Avg like 34PPG 15 Rebs 3blocks something crazy like that those 1st 5 games so think it evens out for Magic

[@donshults7772]

The thing about Worthy is that he wasn't creating plays. Worthy had incredibly quick first step and was a great finisher. However, Worthy was most often on the receiving end of an outlet pass, which would hit him in the right hand and in stride. This would require Worthy to make maybe 1 step and possibly switch hands before reaching the rim.

[@MikHooper]

​@@donshults7772 exactly ur right, the offense ran through magic

[@jared_deraj]

I thought Iggy over Curry had to be the worst until I saw #1. i've never heard of that before, that's absolutely insane, I would love to know wtf they were thinking

[@313drepeso313]

The advance stats weren't even close with Iggy over Curry... Didn't know that Bird stat line though. Only goats can change a series like that, 15 rbs a game is mind blowing!!!

[@chrisb3738]

I was a Celtics and Bird fan in '81 and didn't feel like Maxwell was a bad choice. Maybe the award decision was also made in part due to Max's performance in the Eastern Conference finals against the Sixers. That series was a war and Max played like a warrior.

[@cindyknudson2715]

Everything I've heard about 1981 ECF has Bird as the hands-down MVP of that series.

[@penkima4923]

That series was a war over rebounds, and Bird was the champion.

[@andrewmays8990]

My only explanation is I’ve read there was a narrative that Hayes was a quote toxic teammate and Wes was a better leader

[@penkima4923]

That's interesting, because Wes didn't lead them in any stat. Hayes led them in points, rebounds and blocks. Hayes averaged 21 points in the final series. It's kinda strange if he was considered a ballhog or something over that. And how did the voters know exactly who was the leader of the team, and how he led the team?

[@thewildformosanformosan]

Wes Unseld also somehow won rookie of the year over Hayes with 13.8 ppg and 18.2 rpg, over Hayes' insane 28.4 ppg and 17.1 rpg as a rookie

[@fortynights1513]

Was his team any better?

[@colewrld901]

Worst one will always be Kareem getting snubbed in 1980. Don't care if magic balled in game 6. Kareem was a monster in games 1-5. They gave it to magic off of one game lol

[@jonnyarnett]

It's that last impression, man. Recency bias is HUUUGE among voters

[@sharkyrex_6192]

Bruh if it wasn't for Magic THE LAKERS WOULD HAVE LOST THE SERIES

[@davis2k1234]

@@sharkyrex_6192 Jamal Wilkes avg 22PPG Nixon was 17PPG 8 assist team was loaded and Kareem was 34 14 3 and 4 1st 5 games Magic played great in gm 6 closed it out but they still had a game 7 if he didn’t

[@Navvye]

@@jonnyarnett What do you think about Shaq vs Kobe 2002

[@xaviervega468]

@@sharkyrex_6192 Kareem had them up 3-2 before that game. Magic just closed it out, it wasn't a do or die game.

[@cadecrusader]

Thank you Jonny!

[@JeremyGraczyk]

I'll go to my grave believing Iguodala deserved that award. He may not have completely shut LeBron down but watching those games live (not at the stadium but while they were going on), he's the main reason the Warriors won, hands down. Sometimes it's not about stopping a guy completely, but slowing them down enough to give your team a chance. Look at how everyone reacted to KAT limiting Jokic in games where he was the main defender on Jokic, particularly Round 2 Game 7 of the 2023-24 Western Conference Semifinals. Ant had the better stats and higher scoring for the series and even was clutch guarding Murray and hitting some key shots in the second half, but ask any Wolves fan and they will tell you the reason they won is because of KAT's defense on Jokic. And Jokic still put up phenomenal numbers, just like LeBron!! I was just as shocked that he got it but it was a pleasant surprise to me, as I was almost positive they would just give it to the highest scorer (Curry) on the Warriors

[@penkima4923]

Interestingly, Cedric Maxwell winning the FMVP over Bird seems to have been due to Maxwell averaging 2 more points in that series. Bird led the Celtics in rebounds, assists and steals.

[@eaglewinnings8003]

Hey Jonny love your channel. What was the tune you were using in the background? Thanks man keep up the great videos

[@MikeTheNBAGuy]

The context you didn't mention is important for Iggy vs Curry. Iggy only guarded Bron as the primary defender in games 4-6 and if you look at the stats, his defense resulted in a massive dropoff from what he was averaging on everyone else. This doesn't mean Iggy necessarily deserved the award, but it wasn't an alltime robbery like it seems without this important context

[@penkima4923]

And Iggy's stats were comparable to Steph's.

[@hthrun]

As soon as they handed Iguodala the award he should have walked over and given it to Curry.

[@penkima4923]

That sounds a bit hasty. I'd say as soon as Steph hits his first clutch shot in a big NBA game, Iggy should hand over the award.

[@VincentVincent_89]

To be fair if Iggy wasn’t on Lebron he easily was gonna average 40+ for the series, iggy was the most valuable player against lebron, if someone else was on Lebron he would have kept scoring or kicked it out to a open 3 due to the fact the warriors would have to collapse on him to stop him.

[@animecatalog9194]

Someone you guard averaging 35 is not good defence😂

[@Navvye]

@@animecatalog9194 he did it on piss poor shooting splits

[@VincentVincent_89]

@@Navvye mediocre*

[@kaidusplatinum987]

Saying Jo Jo over Cowens is a WILD take not even mentioning he does still have a fMVP. Also most of these entries predictably read like someone who went back and looked through the box score stats looking for arguments as opposed to how someone who watched all the games would feel

[@kaidusplatinum987]

Just a friendly reminder that the first step of learning real basketball analysis is understanding that most of the time the player with the single best box score stats had the single worst game, reminding you of that and to apply it in these contexts, also at least 2 of these were unequestionably decided by things that didn’t show up in the score sheet so I cringed super hard when you’re walking through the box scores from each game and “awarding” who played better and getting lots of them completely wrong, I get you can’t watch every finals game ever but to not even watch the highlights of a game and award to someone who literally nobody watching the game thought played best is just a mistake, anyway good video idea, keep working on the research and analysis especially given these are being posted publicly not just practice products to get better

[@kaidusplatinum987]

Also I’m just ignoring the fact that you didn’t know the reason Iggy won in 15 and just parroted the misconception of oh it’s for him defending Lebron, but granted that situation was about off the court stuff so I’ll give you the excuse of it wasn’t basketball per se but counting that means 3/5 of these you got completely wrong, not meaning I disagree but meaning you didn’t cover or describe them correctly and never discussed the reasons they won, anyway much love but let’s dig deeper before posting stuff publicly this has a real effect

[@aarondapimp]

Never been this early 🎉

[@imfinishedgrinding638]

The sad thing about Curry's snub in 2015 is that it could have happened again had they also won in Game 7 back in 2016 against the Cavs, they might have given the FMVP to Green as well especially considering how he was playing in that game.

[@emil2683]

And rightly so. Green was their best player in that series. Impacted the game both offensively and defensively.

[@stanleykwan7759]

The difference is that there would've been no debate against Draymond winning it if they somehow won game 7, and he had a monstrous game 7 as well

[@fortynights1513]

You have to also admit one thing: If the media gave Curry the award in 2015, then all the think pieces in the later 2010’s about how he didn’t win a finals MVP wouldn’t exist. Say what you want about who deserved it, or what stood out to voters, but whether they know it or not, they crafted a narrative with their votes there, and gave themselves something to talk about.

[@RIPJimmyA7X]

Hell people desperately wanted to give it to Wigs last year too, anything to keep the "Currys a choker" argument alive

[@darrenneal7245]

Excellent assessment

[@agustindacunto4638]

Kareem had to Win the 1980 mvp, Magic had to Win the 1985 mvp, and Manu Ginobili had to Win or at least Share the 2005 mvp with Duncan

[@codyeble0713]

Honestly in the Cavs and GS series the MVP should have gone to LeBron James regardless of losing.. he was clearly the best player in the series

[@BrianSwish]

My boy should be a 2x fmvp rn 😤😤😤 shit irks my soul that he isn’t

[@steph5136]

Not only had Unseld won this fraud Finals MVP. He won MVP in his rookie season with an average 14 pts on 47% shooting as a center (Wilt Chamberlain had a 21 pts 20 reb season on 58% shooting). That guy clearly had something on the voters in his era.

[@Navvye]

He was the best defender in the league

[@romanramirez7847]

@@Navvye No he wasn’t. He was a great defender for sure, but he never was the best defender in the league. He was a much better rebounder then defender.

[@professionalcurrysexual9289]

@@Navvye he wasn’t and even if he was that doesn’t equate to being the mvp lol wilt,Hayes, Havlicek we’re all better that year with Thurmond being a better defender

[@emilioreyes4159]

Putting Worthy's FMVP and not the Magic's one over Kareem is funny

[@Bigedub101]

I said same thing and Kareem was KILLIN THEM before he got hurt and wasn't even close

[@justinr5989]

In 1996 i believed Rodman’s rebounding was the difference and he deserved finals mvp against the Sonics while Jordan shot terribly and none of the games needed MJ’s unique heroics like all of his other finals…

[@fortynights1513]

When he did the finals MVP series, he gave 96 to Shawn Kemp, and his argument was that Rodman rebounded great, but that he was also the guy guarding Kemp.

[@tomdemay6147]

i agree Rodman was snubbed but I think it wasn't as big a snub as some of these. Specifically Magic, Bird and Hayes.

[@justinr5989]

@@fortynights1513 I saw that too, of course-I just always thought Rodman’s rebounding was the difference between winning and losing for the Bulls, even though Kemp couldn’t be stopped. And fwiw, Payton and Kemp were my favorite players at the time and I was behind them here. Nate McMillan’s injury kept this series from being what it could have been…

[@mistah_chau]

With Magic and Worthy it came down to who won game 7 plus all the games Magic “outperformed” Worthy Lakers lost

[@penkima4923]

Jonny went through this in the video, so I don't know why you lie about it. Magic outperformed Worthy in games 3 and 6, and the Lakers won them. And I'd say Magic also outperformed Worthy in G2, which the Lakers won.

[@gibtherockeryt]

I believe Unseld scored the series winning free throws, that's probably why he got the award, similarly to Worthy

[@Supreme36074]

Unseld over Hayes definitely is the worst , the man averaged single digits …

[@historiaeesporte]

Reed over Frazier in 70 seems strange. Magic and Kareem in 80 and 85 were handed the opposite trophies. I also think that Kawhi in 2014 was a little bit made up, because Duncan caused the main impact on the First two games, but he had a great run in Gm 3, 4 and 5.

[@ibadrizvi5740]

You could still say it's a tossup in 85 since Kareem played much better defence

[@bobharley1]

The narrative was also that Kawhi was also Lebron's kryptonite and made him look human. The offense was very balanced so it had to go to the guy with the best offensive stats + bullying Lebron. The spurs could've swept the Heat but Duncan and Parker missed 4 straight free throws. Statistics and the eye test sometimes get trumped by highlights and narratives when it comes to FMVP.

[@stanleykwan7759]

There was no standout player on the Spurs. And Kawhi arguably had the best numbers on his team along with ridiculous efficiency

[@laz0rama]

Re 1970, you are having the same “last game” short sightedness that he talks about in the video. Clyde had an outstanding game 7, but willis was clearly the best Knick in the 5 games he played real minutes.

[@historiaeesporte]

@@laz0rama essentially, Reed played the first four games. Clyde was better in Games 2 and 4, Reed in Games 1 and 3

[@figo706]

Wes Unseld is among all the Finals MVPs the worst in: - Points scored (63) - Field goals made (26) - Points per game (9.0) - Average game score (10.9)

[@laz0rama]

Is scoring really the only thing that matters in winning basketball to you? Defense, rebounding, leadership, etc? Especially when you’ve got other players to do the scoring.

[@penkima4923]

@@laz0rama This was the #1 ranked biggest FMVP snub in history in this video. It sure wasn't just the points. Elvin Hayes led the Bullets in points, rebound and blocks. Unseld didn't lead them in anything.

[@xriegle]

Iggy > Curry < Iggy > James

[@marcinsobczak8200]

It's a big shame, that Jerry West is the only losing Finals MVP in NBA history. The award should go the best player on both teams, not just the winning team. LeBron was by far the best player in 2014 and 2015 Finals and didn't get the award only because he played on the losing team. And in 2004 it should be Shaq not Billups,

[@Zamppa86]

I don't know if it can be called a snub but George Karl said after the '96 finals that "Dennis Rodman won 2 games for the Bulls with his rebounding, hustling and mindgames". Rodman indeed was a monster in that series and got Seattle's bigmen(Kemp was in major foul trouble several times plus Brickowski completely out of his game) sidetracked with his games and antics. Some people and analysts even said that Rodman should have won the FMVP over Jordan. I'm not saying that should have happened but the discussion about it was certainly a thing to a point.

[@stanleykwan7759]

Rodman's offensive shortcomings were way too much for him to win it. Jordan was still the team's best player as he was easily their best offensive player and also did a solid job on defense.

[@tomdemay6147]

@@stanleykwan7759 I disagree. Rodman should have got the award. That said I dont think it was a huge snub because even a subpar Jordan is still a hell of a player and worthy candidate. But Rodman impact was huge in that series and there are a couple games he definitely outplayed Jordan. Guy had two different games with 11 offensive rebounds in a series where the Bulls couldn't make shots. He bailed them out big time. Rodman defense was as good as Jordan but his offensive rebounding was more impressive than Jordan scoring.

[@benjamingreenwald5825]

The 1988 NBA finals is the biggest robbery in finals history. Isiah Thomas willed the Pistons through game 6 - including a record breaking 25 pt 3rd quarter… on a broken ankle. Late in the game a phantom foul is called (Bill Laimbeer didn’t touch Kareem), and game 7 is forced. If the referee doesn’t give Kareem the call, or if Laimbeer didn’t have his reputation, the Pistons 3 peat.

[@deranged1313]

Kareem over Magic in 1980, Gasol over Kobe in 2010, Duncan over Kawhi in 2014...

[@Edogawa199X]

Gasol over Kobe in 2010?? LMAOO

[@keithjoseph128]

​@@Edogawa199Xdid you not watch that series? You don't even have to understand value to know that.

[@ishak4337]

Kawhi over Duncan your crazy 😂😂, just say u didn’t watch that playoff that boy went crazy that series

[@Saberwolves84]

@@keithjoseph128i did Kobe was obviously the best player plus Gasol had two stinker offense games

[@keithjoseph128]

@@Saberwolves84 irrelevant and Gasol was WAY better than Kobe in the second

[@charlesjohnson536]

OL'🐐👑MAGIC JOHNSON#32 DEFINITELY SHOULD HAVE BEEN 1988 NBA 🏀 FINALS MVP ..

[@jgray2718]

Unseld and Hayes were on the same team?! That team must have been a monster on the boards.

[@tj5180]

Yes. They also had Bob Danridge and other solid role players and former all stars. They were a underrated team

[@jgray2718]

@@tj5180 I bet. I was really just saying that Unseld and Hayes are two of the greatest rebounders of all time so to have them on the same team is pretty wild. I guess Rodman and Duncan played a couple of years together, too, and that's about equally crazy.

[@tj5180]

@UCU0Y6Hu1OMmnRmuFkj91Pwg robinson and rodman did not Duncan small correction.

[@jgray2718]

@@tj5180 Oh you're right. I thought Rodman was after Duncan was drafted, but he was on the Bulls at the time. My bad. Same idea though.

[@K3andK4]

1989. I thought Joe Dumars was excellent, but Isiah Thomas was better, and more tenacious. He set Joe up to excel.

[@jojo1isawesome]

You made a great LeBron argument for 2015😂

[@thewildformosanformosan]

Giving the FMVP to Iggy was the dumbest thing out of the infinite dumb things that has happened to NBA - voters simply don't understand basketball at all. Curry is 80-90% of the reason the GSW dynasty exists, in his prime the opponent has to send 2-3 players to guard him from mid court in order to not get completely destroyed by him, this means an average teammate can play at an All-Star level (e.g. Green) and an All-Star level teammate can play like HoFers (e.g. Klay, KD). On top of this, Curry is so humble and always let his teammate get the limelight. The fact that he was robbed not just once but twice of FMVP title is just ridiculous

[@stanleykwan7759]

It's the comparison of a player at his best vs a player at his average, even though the latter player was still better. By the same standards, this year's East MVP should've gone to Caleb Martin

[@penkima4923]

@@stanleykwan7759 Except that Butler played better defense than Martin.

[@jeffreymoore5079]

LeBum James EVER winning the award is a SNUB #QueenJames

[@kevinmccabe3984]

Everyone forgets curry’s game 2 was straight up awful

[@frankcloutier5495]

The Iggy over Curry one is the worst to me just because it was so obviously narrative based. It had nothing to do with the series and everything to do with Lebron James. It was a way of saying that if Iguodola didn't play "stellar" defense (he was a great defender, but the stat line doesn't lie), James would've been even better. Which is stupid, James would've scored 45 a night with 20 assists and 15 rebounds every night had someone else been the main defender? Strongly doubt it. So take Iggy away and the series is similar; take Curry away and the Warriors might possibly steal a game in the series.

[@penkima4923]

Iggy held LeBron below 40 % shooting. It's a strong argument that Iggy was the reason the Warriors won. Plus, Steph's stats always go down the deeper they go into the playoffs. While Iggy's stats were close to being on par with Steph.

[@algalonr.jacket3776]

Magic over Kareem in '80 was definitely wrong decision. If one great game in finals grants you MVP award then Gasol shoulda won over Kobe in 2010 simply due to his game 7 performance.

[@romanramirez7847]

A similar thing happened in 1973 with Willis Reed. Reed was solid the first 4 games of the series but was for sure a supporting option to the other Knicks like Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe and Bill Bradley for those games. But he had a great Game 5, so they gave him the Finals MVP for that performance. Personally, I think Frazier should have won Finals MVP as he was probably the most well-rounded Knick overall, and even had a great Game 5 as well.

[@justinmunson1412]

I was definitely born a decade to early dudes got away with everything in the 70s 11:56 and 80s

[@teejaye6226]

I might be wrong but it seems that it really only mattered who won the chip. Finals MVP are for goat debates only.

[@duffypratt]

Simply because it’s since become an unwritten rule, the failure to give the first FMVP to a Celtic was a pretty big snub - probably to Havlicek. West was awesome, but we no longer give the award to awesome losers.

[@-ac-8296]

Kareem in 1980, Bird in 1981.. Iggy deserved his

[@joshuas135]

Caleb Martin was snubbed from Eastern Conference finals mvp

[@hektor7798]

I would’ve liked to see it but Jimmy was the reason they won against the Bucks his performance that series was out of this world and he was still good in the other series. It was honestly close but Jimmy deserved it more

[@august6281]

if it was given to Martin, then the 1st ECMVP snub will be Jimmy Butler

[@d.columbia9603]

Martin played incredibly well. However jimmy was a major factor in the bucks series. He was the best player in the nicks series and his numbers are very close to Martin's while having more attention. So its not a snub. Jimmy just deserved it more for his play through out the play offs

[@muizmin]

This statement gives same vibe as "Jaylen Brown is better than Tatum"

[@joshuas135]

@@muizmin As a massive Celtics fan believe me he isn’t.

[@reodagreo7637]

Nobody liked es Elvin Hayes… there’s your answer as to why he isn’t praised as he should be

[@penkima4923]

What's the reason they don't like him?

[@reodagreo7637]

@@penkima4923 prickly personality. If you listen to his peers talk about him, he had few friends… between him and Kareem, 2 of the best 3 players (the other being Doc) of the era weren’t friendly at all.

[@penkima4923]

@@reodagreo7637 Interestingly, 3 years earlier Rick Barry won the FMVP versus Hayes and Unseld. Barry knew he was good himself, but also made the mistake of telling everyone how good he was. That rubbed people the wrong way, including his teammates.

[@reodagreo7637]

@@penkima4923 Rick is another legendary a hole, lol. He doesn’t get remembered the way he should (as a top 5 SF ever) either

[@muizmin]

do reg mvps ‼️‼️

[@skolcole]

If anyone reading this is a football fan, I still stand by Gronk should have won over Brady in the 2020 SB. Scored the only 2 TD’s that mattered & was a complete animal in the run blocking that ran the clock out in that blowout win.

[@justinmunson1412]

Life before drug testing 🤣 lmfao

[@10649417]

Curry wasn't a good defender during that finals series and Golden state tried to hid Curry on defense. Kawhi finals MVP over Tim Duncan was one of the worse snubs ever. Kawhi wasn't a better offensive or defensive player than Tim Duncan during that series.

[@Santiago_1402]

2010: Kobe 2011: Dirk 2012: LeBron 2013: LeBron 2014: LeBron 2015: LeBron 2016: LeBron 2017: KD 2018: LeBron 2019: Curry 2020: LeBron 2021: Giannis 2022: Curry 2023: Jokic 2024: ¿?

[@diegochavez6203]

They should do playoff MVP not just finals. MVP that way everything you did starting from the first round matters

[@Hazz1405]

If we are being real Curry deserved all the Finals MVP that he could of won. The iggy one is self explanatory. But even the 2 KD ones curry should of won. Curry was the focal point on opposing teams defensuve schemes. He was double teamed around 7 X as much as KD was. KD was getting open Jumpers and dunks and was allowed to go 1v1 whenever he wanted because teams were worried about curry. Tyronne Lue came out and said we weren't worried about KD. We were worried about Steph. Curry averaged 27 10 and 8 whilst being guarded ALOT more tightly than KD. In 2018 he averaged 28 7 and 6 Kd was literally getting the same type of shots that Harrison Barnes was getting in 2016. But ofc KD makes them. Curry was also just as impactful defensively with the amount of Knocked balls, steals/strips he was getting. Curry was such a problem on offence that KD had the lowest % of uncontested shots for an MVP winner in modern NBA Finals history

[@penkima4923]

That sounds like some lousy adaptation by the Cavs, because in 2017 KD led the Warriors in scoring in every game of that series, and shot better than Steph from the free throw line, from 2-point range, and from 3-point range. And KD led both teams in scoring for the first 2 games.

[@whenisdinner2137]

Anthony Davis 2020 and Kyrie Irving in 2016.

[@xaviervega468]

Nonsense either time. 2016 Lebron led both teams in all 5 major stats and had the back to back 40pt games. 2020 if the WCF mvp had existed back then AD would have been the clear winner. But FMVP?? Not a chance. Lebron averaged more points, more rebounds, and more assists than AD.

[@tj5180]

Kyrie had no argument being the finals mvp. Bron was the clear best player

[@guyfromnewyork5236]

BalderDash

[@emil2683]

2016 finals mvp is Adam Silver for suspending Draymond Green and shifting the momentum of the series.

[@guyfromnewyork5236]

Bupkis

[@JJGray21]

Iggy of LEBRON was the worst final’s decision ever. If Bron even had K. Love healthy, Cavs win in 5. Bron had no help and stretched the Warriors to 6.

[@kobischpiek8520]

Norm nixon 1982

[@fortnitejake850]

Ya…. the end of that 78 finals was sus

[@stanleykwan7759]

Wes Unseld's whole career was sus, how did he even win roty, mvp and fmvp while not even averaging 15 points in each of those seasons?

[@randysandberg5615]

Dennis Johnson over Gus Williams for the Sonics. Gus averaged 29 a game.

[@ralph.aguinaldomd]

The Cavs would've won that series if the Warriors didn't switch it up with Iggy. That's why I think he still deserves the Finals MVP over Steph. He may not be the best player, but he was the most valuable.

[@amarithompson4196]

You could say that about Curry in 2018

[@ArmandoKozomara]

Worthy finals mvp over Magic isn't that crazy, I don't think. The Lakers were stacked in the showtime era.

[@jimmyclement08]

Does defence matter?

[@Zanzibarbarian88]

wasn't Unseld playing injured or something?

[@romanramirez7847]

He was healthy the whole series.

[@DanielGarcia-is4xk]

Manu Ginobili in 05 against the Pistons

[@tridra5714]

yeah tim nearly sold the whole series away in game 6

[@thetophatfreak5627]

9 ppg finals mvp is diabolical 💀

[@Jeff.fl0w]

Curry got robbed so many times 😩

[@Edogawa199X]

Meatrider spotted

[@frankieboy8414]

Look at that travel by LeCarry at 7:45. He ran like four steps before he even started dribbling, lmao

[@agentrocklee]

This comment section is purely a Curry smear campaign...why... to defend LeBrons honor??? Steph got snubbed... he should have 2 FMVPs