Luka Doncic Or Jayson Tatum? Ranking Top 10 Players In NBA Finals

The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks didn’t get to the NBA Finals by accident.

The Celtics enter the series with a 76-20 combined record from the regular season and playoffs while the Mavericks toppled three higher seeds in the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves to get to this point.

Both teams are two of the more talented squads in the league with plenty of fire power and depth. But which team has more talent? It seems like it should be the Celtics, which doesn’t guarantee them a title.

There will be plenty of highly skilled players on the floor when the Finals commence Thursday night at TD Garden, so we ranked the top 10 players who could play a big role in the series:

10. Daniel Gafford
Derrick Lively II could be in this spot, but Gafford took it due to his elite rim protection. He came over to the Mavericks in a midseason trade from the Washington Wizards and became Dallas’ main shot-blocking presence. The 6-foot-10 center totaled 2.6 blocks per game in the Western Conference finals and in Game 2, he turned in a 16-point, five-block performance on the road.

9. Al Horford
Horford, 38, is the wily old veteran at this stage of his career as he looks for his first ring. Horford can still provide enough versatility on the defensive end and is a reliable enough 3-point shooter. He knocked down a career-high seven triples in a Game 3 win over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.

8. P.J. Washington
Another trade deadline pick up by the Mavericks who has made his mark. Washington is Dallas’ third-leading scorer in the playoffs at 13.6 points per game and can make an impact on both ends of the floor.

7. Kristaps Porzingis
Porzingis would be higher on this list if he hadn’t sat out the last five weeks due to a calf injury. He’s not even sure what he can provide in the Finals, but when he’s at his best, he’s a pick-and-pop assassin and top-tier rim protector.

6. Derrick White
White can do everything for the Celtics as he went from an undrafted guard to the precipice of stardom. He’s scoring 17.8 points per game in the playoffs and hitting 3-pointers at a 40.7% clip. And don’t forget he’s one of the best defensive guards in the NBA and is a real threat to block anyone’s shot.

5. Jrue Holiday
Holiday and White do very similar things on the court, but it just feels like Holiday has a couple of more intangibles than White to take this spot. Holiday took his game to another level in the postseason by making several clutch plays and could be the X-factor for the Celtics in this series.

4. Kyrie Irving
There might not be another player in the NBA who has the array of offensive moves that Irving does. He’s a deadly shooter, too, as he’s sunk 42.1% of his 3-point attempts during the playoffs.

3. Jaylen Brown
Brown is a better all-around player than Irving, which is why the Celtics star gets this spot. Brown is averaging 25 points and is shooting an eye-popping 61.5% from inside the arc in the playoffs. Brown has also delivered in the biggest moments, too, which shouldn’t go unrecognized.

2. Jayson Tatum
There’s a reason why Tatum has finished in the top six in MVP voting each of the last three seasons. The 6-foot-8 forward is a high-volume scorer, a strong rebounder and has developed into an adept playmaker. Tatum’s long-range shooting has been off in the postseason, but if he finds it, he has the chance to take over the series and claim Finals MVP honors.

1. Luka Doncic
This might be tough for Celtics fans to swallow, but Doncic is the best player in the series. He’s averaging close to a triple-double in the postseason with 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Doncic has an unorthodox style, but he gets the job done repeatedly and can make an impact on any play when he touches the ball.