The Defining Players of the 21st Century NBA Playoffs
A quick note to the readers before we get started: there is an important distinction that I feel it’s necessary to make before I take you by the hand and walk through over a quarter-century of NBA postseasons, because as you’ll soon see, this exercise isn’t as simple as looking at who won the NBA Finals MVP and blindly assuming they defined the postseason. The NBA Finals MVP is concerned with who the most valuable player was over the course of somewhere between four and seven games in the final round of the NBA Playoffs. The Defining Player of the NBA Playoffs will factor in all four Playoff rounds and has more to do with the lasting moments and images that help to create the beautiful tapestry of the history of the National Basketball Association than it does with what team won the NBA Title and who was perceived as most valuable.
What I’ve found is that it’s not too unusual for a players whose team didn’t win the NBA Title to come away from the Playoffs as the defining player. After all, the Playoffs are a loooooongggg two month grind. You have to win 16 games to get your hands on the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but sometimes, you can win 15, or 14, or 13, or 12 games and still come away as the Defining Player of the Playoffs in that given year. In fact, of the 27 selections here, seven come from teams that did not hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy at season’s end.
So now that we got this all sorted out, what do you say we take a trip down memory lane?
2000: Shaquille O’Neal
The Stats - 23 games, 30.7 points, 15.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.4 blocks, 30.5 PER
The Defining Moment - The best way to describe Shaq at his early 00’s apex would be to ask you to conjure the image of an Army Tank being driven by a hard-ass in fatigues partaking in a demolition derby with a bunch of remote-controlled toy cars operated by nerds who didn’t realize what they were getting themselves and their toy cars into. He was indestructible, unstoppable, and totally unforgiving, which makes the defining moment of his 2000 Playoffs run such a unique snapshot. In Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Shaq and the Lakers found themselves on the brink of a stunning defeat at the hands of a Portland Trail Blazers squad that had a knack for giving the big fella issues that other teams couldn’t. But a 4th quarter rally pushed the Lakers ahead, and with an emphatic alley-oop finish off a pass from Kobe Bryant, the reigning MVP nearly took the basket and the entire Staples Center down to the ground.
Runner Up - Reggie Miller
2001: Allen Iverson
The Stats - 22 games, 32.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.4 steals, 22.5 PER
The Defining Moment - Despite the stature of a welterweight, Allen Iverson carried himself like a Super Heavyweight throughout the 2000-01 season and postseason, and accordingly, he carried the Philadelphia 76ers to their first NBA Finals appearance in 18 years. In Game 1, facing a Los Angeles Lakers juggernaut that had won 19 straight games dating back to the final weeks of the regular season, Iverson accounted for 48 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals in a 107-101 Sixers win, capping the performance with what may be the single most disrespectful moment ever to take place on the hardwood as he stepped over a defenseless Ty Lue after drilling a baseline jumper. It not only kept the Lakers from sweeping the entire postseason, it solidified AI as a Philadelphia cult hero on par with all of the Founding Fathers and whoever it was who conceptualized the Philly Cheesesteak.
Runner Up - Shaquille O’Neal
2002: Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant
The Stats - 19 games, 55.1 combined points, 18.4 combined rebounds, 7.4 combined assists
The Defining Moment - It’s only fitting that the throne is shared by both Lakers superstars in 2002, as this was the moment in time when you could make a passionate and more than passable case that Shaq and Kobe were the two best basketball players on the planet. Never was this more clear than during the Western Conference Finals, when the Lakers were taken to seven games by a delightfully entertaining Sacramento Kings team that even after losing a controversial Game 6 in LAstill had the chance to close the Lakers out on their home floor. But behind 65 points, 23 rebounds and 9 assists from one of the most prolific duos to ever share a locker room, the Lakers advanced to — and won — a third straight NBA Finals. The Cowbells at Arco Arena were no match.
Runner Up - Jason Kidd
2003: Tim Duncan
The Stats - 24 games, 24.7 points, 15.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 3.3 blocks, 28.4 PER
The Defining Moment - Isn’t it so on brand for Tim Duncan, arguably the most under-appreciated historically great player in NBA history, to have closed out the 2003 Playoffs with arguably the most under-appreciated great game in NBA postseason history, winning the second of five titles for what is arguably the most under-appreciated dynasty in professional sports history? In Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the New Jersey Nets, Duncan stuffed the stat sheet with a 21 point, 20 rebound, 10 assist, 8 block masterpiece that solidified the Big Fundamental’s place in league lore, whether casual fans were ready to recognize it or not.
Runner Up - Jason Kidd
2004: Ben Wallace
The Stats - 23 games, 10.3 points, 14.3 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 18.6 PER
The Defining Moment - This is the one and only instance in this exercise where the Defining Player of a given postseason was a member of the championship-winning team but WAS NOT named the NBA Finals MVP. With all due respect to Chauncey Billups and any of the New York crime families he allegedly has ties to, Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh Ben Wallaceis the first guy who comes to mind when I think about DEEEEEETROIT BASKETBALL, and no play captured Big Ben’s impact better than the emphatic and illegal swat of a Shaquille O’Neal jump hook in the 2nd Half of Game 5 that sent Pistons fans into a frenzy despite the goaltending call. They knew a championship was on the horizon.
Runner Up - Kobe Bryant
2005: Tim Duncan
The Stats - 23 games, 23.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.3 blocks, 24.9 PER
The Defining Moment - I’ll be honest, I tried really hard to talk myself into giving this to Robert Horry if only because the one truly memorable game from the 2005 NBA Finals just so happened to be the stage for the most clutch moment in a career full of clutch moments for Horry, but I couldn’t quite get there. Instead, I’ll once again reward Duncan, who with the help of the deterioration of the Shaq-Kobe Lakers firmly entrenched himself atop the NBA hierarchy with his 2005 postseason run.
Runner Up - Chauncey Billups
2006: Dwyane Wade
The Stats - 23 games, 28.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.2 steals, 26.9 PER
The Defining Moment - All of the people who have complained about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being a free throw merchant either didn’t watch the 2006 NBA Finals, or they have just as much hatred in their heart for Dwyane Wade, because Wade attempted an absolutely preposterous 97 free throws in six NBA Finals games against Dallas, while SGA was limited to only 64 free throw attempts in seven games versus Indiana in the 2025 Finals. So, I suppose the Defining Moment of Wade’s postseason run is one of those 97 free throw attempts in the Finals?
All kidding aside, by sheer force of will, a 24-year-old Wade dug the Heat out of an 0-2 hole to capture the franchise’s first NBA title in 2006, setting up an unexpected “Wait, is Dwyane Wade actually the best guy from the 2003 Draft class?” conversation all summer long.
Runner Up - Dirk Nowitzki
2007: LeBron James
The Stats - 20 games, 25.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 23.9 PER
The Defining Moment - Putting a forgettable NBA Finals showing versus a clearly superior San Antonio Spurs team aside, LeBron’s 48 Special in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on the road against the Detroit Pistons remains one of the King’s greatest achievements. For those uninitiated, LeBron scored 48 points, including the final 25 points of the game for the Cavaliers over the course of the 4th quarter and two overtimes, to give Cleveland a 3–2 edge in the East Finals. For all intents and purposes, this was when LeBron officially became a full-fledged, no-doubt-about-it superstar.
Runner Up - Tim Duncan
2008: Paul Pierce
The Stats - 26 games, 19.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 17.4 PER
The Defining Moment - Hey guys, remember when Paul Pierce shit his shorts but pretended he blew out his knee and was carried off the court and wheel-chaired to the locker room so he could change his shorts and then make a Willis Reed-like return, only Reed was playing with a torn thigh muscle and Pierce was playing with bum tum? Do you remember that?
Runner Up - Kevin Garnett
2009: Kobe Bryant
The Stats - 23 games, 30.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 26.8 PER
The Defining Moment - It has to be when Kobe Bryant and LeBron James stepped on the floor for Game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals, giving hoops fans a superstar vs. superstar matchup reminiscent of Bird vs. Magic in the 1980s. Oh wait, that didn’t happen because Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic fucking ruined everything. It’s been 17 years and my feelings are still hurt by that Eastern Conference Finals series.
Runner Up- Dwight Howard
2010: Kobe Bryant
The Stats - 23 games, 29.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 24.7 PER
The Defining Moment - In the midst of an ugly rock fight in Game 7 of the NBA Finals in which he shot 6-for-24 from the field, Kobe Bryant did all of the things the naysayers said he couldn’t do. He crashed the glass (15 boards), trusted his teammates (leading to an unexpected clutch Ron Artest three-pointer that goes down as the ultimate No, No, Yes! Shots in league history) and didn’t shoot the Lakers out of the game. The result was an 83–79 win over Boston which ended with Kobe on the scorer’s table being showered with confetti as giddy LA fans showered him with the adoration he deserved.
Runner Up - LeBron James
NOTE: LeBron may come as a bit of a wild card selection considering Cleveland was ousted in Round 2 of the Playoffs, but you can’t overstate just how much his pending free agency was a key storyline heading into and all throughout the postseason. Throw in a truly bizarre Game 5 performance against the Celtics — which may or may not have been as a result of some still-not-totally-proven messy off-court drama — and this was actually a fairly easy pick.
2011: Dirk Nowitzki
The Stats - 21 games, 27.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 25.2 PER
The Defining Moment - It wasn’t just the 2011 NBA Finals that catapulted Dirk to another tier of NBA greatness. It was an entire postseason run the included series wins over Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the two-time defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers, and the young and hungry Oklahoma City Thunder, who would get to the Finals the following season. Truthfully, the defining game of this postseason run was probably Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, when Nowitzki scored 48 points and went a perfect 24-for-24 from the free throw line, but the single moment that defined the run was Dirk’s lefty lay-in with time running down in Game 2 to prevent Dallas from falling into an 0–2 hole.
Runner Up - LeBron James
2012: LeBron James
The Stats - 23 games, 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 30.3 PER
The Defining Moment - They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case, a picture of LeBron James during the 2012 NBA Playoffs is worth 45 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a must-win Game 6 in Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Runner Up - Kevin Durant
2013: LeBron James
The Stats - 23 games, 25.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 28.1 PER
The Defining Moment - Make no mistake, Ray Allen’s corner three with just seconds remaining in Game 6 to keep Miami’s NBA Title hopes alive is the defining moment of the postseason, but LeBron’s defining moment of the 2013 NBA Playoffs came just days later in Game 7, when the King put up 37 points and hit the ring-clinching mid-range jumper over Kawhi Leonard with under 30 seconds to go.
Runner Up - Tim Duncan
2014: The San Antonio Spurs Machine
The Stats - 23 games, 16-7 record, 10.0 Net Rating, 22.2 assists per game, 49-41-77 team shooting splits
The Defining Moment - All of those beautiful sequences of ball movement that feel like basketball nirvana for pure hoops fans. You can’t make me choose just one.
Runner Up - LeBron James
2015: LeBron James
The Stats - 20 games, 30.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 25.3 PER
The Defining Moment - With both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love sidelined for the rest of the postseason due to injury, LeBron James pushed the 67-win Warriors to the limit in the NBA Finals, going for 39–16–11 and 40–12–8 in Games 2 and 3, a pair of Cavaliers wins. LeBron was so good and so shorthanded in this series, he actually received four of the 11 votes for NBA Finals MVP despite losing in the series.
Runner Up - Stephen Curry
2016: LeBron James
The Stats - 21 games, 26.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 2.3 steals, 30.0 PER
The Defining Moment - “Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the lay-up, OH BLOCKED BY JAMES! LeBron James with the rejection!”
Runner Up — Draymond Green
2017: Kevin Durant
The Stats - 15 games, 28.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 27.5 PER
The Defining Moment - As part of a masterful 43-point performance, the ultra-clutch game-winning three over LeBron in Game 3 that put Golden State up 3–0 in the NBA Finals. It’s been nine years and my feelings are still hurt by this shot.
Runner Up - LeBron James
2018: LeBron James
The Stats - 22 games, 34.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 32.2 PER
The Defining Moment - Even more so than a pair of game-winning buzzer beaters against Indiana and Toronto in the opening two rounds of the Playoffs, it’s a three-game stretch that includes Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals and Game 1 of the NBA Finals in which LeBron averaged 44 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game while coming closer to mastering the game of basketball than anyone ever has. The Defining Image, however, is this now iconic still shot:
Runner Up - James Harden
2019: Kawhi Leonard
The Stats - 24 games, 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 28.0 PER
The Defining Moment - The buzzer-beating, falling-into-the-bench corner jumper that clinched the game AND the series in Round 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s one of only six series-clinching buzzer-beaters in NBA postseason history, and the only one that came in a Game 7.
Runner Up - Damian Lillard
2020: Jimmy Butler
The Stats - 21 games, 22.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 23.8 PER
The Defining Moment - With all due respect to LeBron James (who has already gotten his due plenty of times throughout this piece) and Anthony Davis (who played the best basketball of his career inside the Bubble), the player I’ll remember first from the 2020 NBA postseason is Jimmy Butler. And if we’re looking for one defining moment or image from the run that could be defined as the birth of Playoff Jimmy, I imagine you have the same image in mind that I do…
Runner Up - LeBron James
2021: Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Stats - 21 games, 30.2 points, 12.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 27.6 PER
The Defining Moment - How about a 3-for-1 special? First, in Game 4, Giannis sealed Milwaukee’s win over Phoenix with a borderline improbable help-and-recover block on an alley-oop attempt to DeAndre Ayton. Then in Game 5, Giannis was on the receiving end of a late-game alley-oop pass from Jrue Holiday that left the Suns home crowd in stunned silence. And then in Game 6, the Greek Freak delivered what is potentially the greatest close-out performance in Finals history. 50 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks, and a previously inconceivable 17-for-19 at the free throw line. Take your pick. There’s no wrong answer.
Runner Up - Chris Paul
2022: Stephen Curry
The Stats - 22 games, 27.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 24.4 PER
The Defining Moment - Game 4 of the NBA Finals, with Golden State facing a 2–1 hole in Boston, Curry delivered what is — considering the stakes — the finest performance of his career. In fact, it might be fair to say this was the most dominant performance ever by a small guard in the NBA Finals (a certain NY-based small guard has something to say about this in just a moment). If there was even the tiniest bit of doubt that Curry belonged in the very highest tier of the NBA’s pantheon of all-time greats, this performance got rid of it.
Runner Up - Jayson Tatum
2023: Nikola Jokic
The Stats - 20 games, 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 31.2 PER
The Defining Moment - Eight weeks of methodical, yet jaw-dropping basketball brilliance aside, the defining moment of Nikola Jokic’s 2023 NBA Playoff run probably came after the Nuggets had won the title, when Jokic was informed that he had to stick around in Denver for another few days to partake in the Championship Parade. You would’ve thought Jokic was told he needed to donate a kidney to a total stranger, but in reality, the poor guy just wanted to get home to his horses. The good news: once Jokic got a few drinks in him, his mood changed on the whole parade thing.
Runner Up - Jimmy Butler
2024: Luka Doncic
The Stats - 22 games, 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 22.5 PER
The Defining Moment - An audacious step-back game-winning three-pointer over the long arms of Rudy Gobert that gave Dallas a 2–0 edge in the Western Conference Finals, and instantly made everyone wonder why Gobert, and not Victor Wembanyama, had been voted the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. It didn’t help Gobert’s cause that a snarling Doncic talked all kinds of shit after he hit that top of the key three right in Gobert’s grill.
Runner Up - Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
2025: Tyrese Haliburton
The Stats - 23 games, 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 20.0 PER
The Defining Moment - Either the slightly premature choke sign which paid homage to Reggie Miller in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden — if you rewatch that shot, listen for Reggie, who was on the broadcast for TNT, laughing like a madman after the shot went down — or unfortunately, the ruptured achilles that sucked all of the air out of a Game 7 that was looking like it was destined to be a doozy based on the first six minutes of action.
Runner Up - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2026: Jalen Brunson
The Stats - 19 Games, 28.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 22.2 PER
The Defining Moment - If OG Anunoby’s Right Hand of God tip-in to win Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden was the equivalent of a hearty entree, then watching Jalen Brunson devour the San Antonio Spurs defense in crunch time of the Game 5 clincher with a ground-based attack that was equal parts guile and grit was the delectable dessert that put a cap on the meal that starving Knicks fans had been waiting 53 years for.
Runner Up - Victor Wembanyama
