With the NBA playoffs in full swing, the top teams across the league are chasing the NBA's ultimate goal: the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
The Eastern Conference's No. 1 and 2 seeds -- the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics -- are counting on stars like Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to boost them past the first and second rounds. In the Western Conference, the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder, No. 2 San Antonio Spurs and No. 3 Denver Nuggets have the same hope with their star-studded rosters, while also boasting the three finalists for this season's MVP award: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic.
The trio have undoubtedly set themselves apart in the 2025-26 regular season. Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, helped lead Oklahoma City to a 64-win season en route to the No. 1 seed. Wembanyma became the youngest and first unanimous winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award, and muscled San Antonio back to the postseason for the first time since 2019. Meanwhile Jokic, the three-time league MVP, finished the season as the assists (10.7) and rebounds (12.9) per game leader.
A matchup between a pair of these stars is inevitable in the 2026 postseason. Perhaps likelier? One of the three could be holding the NBA Finals Trophy in mid-June.
NBA reporter Tim Bontemps' final MVP straw poll and awards ballot reveal Gilgeous-Alexander had the edge at the end of the regular season.
2026 NBA MVP finalists
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Point guard | Oklahoma City Thunder
68 games | 31.1 PPG | 4.3 RPG | 6.6 APG
Nikola Jokic | Center | Denver Nuggets
65 games | 27.7 PPG | 12.9 RPG | 10.7 APG
Victor Wembanyama | Forward | San Antonio Spurs
64 games | 25.0 PPG | 11.5 RPG | 3.1 APG
Tim Bontemps' MVP pick
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Nikola Jokic Victor Wembanyama Luka Doncic Cade Cunningham Just as he did in ESPN's final MVP straw poll of the season, Gilgeous-Alexander sits atop my ballot, and he should become the 16th multiple-time MVP in league history. His individual brilliance, along with driving the Thunder to 64 wins while the team fended off injury issues and the Spurs down the stretch, kept him No. 1.
The biggest debate was Jokic vs. Wembanyama for the second spot. Both have impressive cases.