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The NBA Finals are the biggest stage of the world's greatest basketball league. Logically, performing at a high level on this platform is a huge boost for any player's legacy, and some NBA superstars have put on some incredible performances in the NBA Finals.
From Shaquille O'Neal in the early 2000s to LeBron James last year, the Finals MVP award winners are usually historic players who were able to dominate and take their teams to the promised land.
The Finals MVP award is arguably the biggest individual award a player can win, though the regular-season MVP award recognizes a more consistent level of performance. Some role players have won the Finals MVP award, which simply would not happen with the regular-season prize.
In this article, we will give you the five-best NBA Finals MVP performances in the 21st century. It promises to be a list full of great and legendary players.
Without further ado, let us take a look.
#5 Kevin Durant - 2017 NBA Finals MVP
After joining the 73-9 Golden State Warriors ahead of the 2016-17 NBA season, Kevin Durant received lots of criticism and he was pressured to win the NBA championship with Golden State.
Durant and the Warriors, including two-time MVP Stephen Curry and All-Stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, rolled through the NBA regular season with a 67-15 record.
They then swept the West on their way to the NBA Finals, where they defeated LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. Durant won the Finals MVP award after averaging 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game and hitting timely shots in the series.
Durant's average of points per game in the 2017 NBA Finals is the second-highest in the 21st century and the sixth-highest in NBA history.
#4 Dwyane Wade - 2006 NBA Finals MVP
The 2006 NBA Finals saw the Miami Heat, with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal, face off against Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks. O'Neal was in his second season with the Heat, coached by Pat Riley. The team took things a step further from the previous year, when the Detroit Pistons had eliminated the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Dallas Mavericks arrived at the 2006 NBA Finals after taking down reigning champions San Antonio Spurs in the second round and Steve Nash's Phoenix Suns in the Western Finals.
Dallas stormed to a 2-0 lead in a series that looked difficult to overcome for the Heat. But Wade exploded offensively and Miami, also assisted by Gary Payton's timely shot in Game 3, managed to win four consecutive games and eventually secure the championship.
It was O'Neal's fourth NBA championship and Wade's first, and the latter was the deserving winner of the Finals MVP honors. The young superstar averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in the series.
#3 Tim Duncan - 2003 NBA Finals MVP
Tim Duncan won three NBA Finals MVP awards during his illustrious, Hall-of-Fame career. But his performance in the 2003 NBA Finals against Jason Kidd's New Jersey Nets was arguably his greatest.
Already a champion and Finals MVP in 1999, Duncan's Spurs had three seasons without reaching the NBA Finals, with the Shaq-Kobe LA Lakers dominating the league. However, San Antonio had a brilliant 2002-03 NBA season, and Duncan earned his second consecutive regular-season MVP.
On their way to the NBA Finals, the 60-22 Spurs took down the Phoenix Suns, LA Lakers and Dallas Mavericks to reach the NBA Finals. On the NBA's biggest stage, the New Jersey Nets played against San Antonio in their second consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals.
However, the Spurs defeated the Nets in six games to win the franchise's second NBA title. Duncan won the second of his three NBA Finals MVP awards after averaging 24 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and five blocks per game.
#2 Shaquille O'Neal - 2002 NBA Finals MVP
Also a three-time Finals MVP winner, Shaquille O'Neal was majestic with the LA Lakers in the championship round. O'Neal and Kobe Bryant led the LA team to three consecutive championships between 2000 and 2002, and the big man won the Finals MVP award each year.
In 2002, O'Neal had an unbelievable run, as he did in the previous two championship rounds for the LA Lakers. He averaged 36.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in a four-game sweep over the New Jersey Nets. The rout completed the LA Lakers' three-peat and got him his third Finals MVP award.
#1 LeBron James - 2016 NBA Finals MVP
In the 21st century, there have been several players who have graced the NBA with their greatness, but none have done it like LeBron James.
In the NBA Finals, a round he's reached 10 times in his career, James has largely been fantastic. He has four championships and four Finals MVP awards to his name, the second-most in league history.
However, if we had to pick only one of LeBron James' title-winning performances in the NBA Finals, the 2016 Finals MVP trophy will definitely stand out.
James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA championship after coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. They remain the only team to ever accomplish this feat. He also led both teams in every statistic and remains the only player ever to do so in NBA history.
James' performance in the final three games of the series was unique. He scored 41 points in the fifth and sixth games of the series and recorded a 27-point triple-double. James also rounded off a fantastic performance with 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Also read: 5 Most unlikely matchups in NBA Finals history
