The 2026 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., will feature a new wrinkle. Instead of the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format or the silly All-Star captains choosing teams, the NBA’s annual midseason showcase event will feature two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players, also known as the World team.

The three squads will compete in a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games. Each team will have a minimum of eight players, selected by a combination of fan votes (50%), current NBA players (25%), and a media panel (25%).

If NBA All-Star voting does not result in the selection of 16 U.S. players and eight international players (which can include American players with ties to other countries if necessary), then NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select additional All-Stars to join either group to reach that minimum.

There was zero chance the international team wouldn’t be able to field an eight-man squad. In fact, the international talent pool is so deep that there will be snubs. When the 10 starters were announced on Jan. 19, five of them were foreign-born players. When the reserves were announced on Feb. 1, there were at least three qualified to be on Team World. Karl-Anthony Towns was born in the U.S., but represents the Dominican Republic in FIBA competitions. Towns said if selected to the All-Star game, he prefers Team World over the U.S. squad.

Assuming guys are healthy enough to play, the World team is stacked with an All-NBA starting five and plenty of firepower off the bench.

Starters
Nikola Jokic, center, Denver Nuggets
Giannis Antetokounmpo, forward, Milwaukee Bucks
Victor Wembanyama, forward-center, San Antonio Spurs
Luka Doncic, guard-forward, L.A. Lakers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, guard, Oklahoma City Thunder

Bench
Jamal Murray, guard, Denver Nuggets
Karl-Anthony Towns, forward-center, New York Knicks
Deni Avdija, guard-forward, Portland Trail Blazers
Pascal Siakam, forward, Indiana Pacers
Potential injury replacements:
* Alperen Sengun, center, Houston Rockets
* Lauri Markkanen, forward, Utah Jazz

Jokic, Wemby, Giannis, Luka, and SGA have combined for six MVPs, two scoring titles, and three NBA championships. If the season ended today, there could be a strong case to be made that these five superstars deserve to be on the All-NBA first team.

Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic was well on his way to potentially a fourth MVP award until a hyper-extended knee derailed his season and forced him out of the Denver Nuggets lineup for a month.

Slovenia’s Luka Doncic, the leading vote-getter in the West, is having his best season in two years, leading the league in scoring and free throw attempts. He’s averaging 33.4 points per game, which would be his best mark since the 2023-24 season, and he gets to the line 11 times per game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — born in Canada but played college basketball at Kentucky — is backing up his 2024-25 MVP season with another outstanding campaign. He’s second in the league in scoring and leads all players with 11.0 field goal makes per game. Behind Shai, the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder owns the best record in the NBA.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, also known as The Greek Freak, garnered the most votes of any Eastern Conference player. He isn’t having his typical MVP-type season, but he remains among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.

Victor Wembanyama, now in his third year in the league, is the biggest reason why the San Antonio Spurs are poised to have their best season since the Tim Duncan era. The 22-year-old Frenchman played a vital role in helping the Spurs reach the championship game of the NBA Cup, and he was the force behind San Antonio’s three convincing wins over the OKC Thunder.

That’s quite a formidable starting unit. The bench for the World team isn’t too shabby.

Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the most versatile big men in the Association. He could easily start for the World team if Jokic, Wemby, or Giannis decide to skip the All-Star game. Towns, one of the best shooting big men in the NBA, was a force on both ends of the court during the New York Knicks’ championship run in the NBA Cup tournament.

Jamal Murray finally made an NBA All-Star team after nine seasons, as he was voted on by coaches as a reserve. The Denver Nuggets guard — the pride of Kitchener, Ontario — is averaging 26 points per game, five points higher than last season, and he is shooting a career-best 44% from 3-point range. Because of Murray, the Nuggets were able to stay in the top four in the West standings despite Jokic missing a month due to a hyperextended knee.

Israel’s Deni Avdija might be the biggest reason why the Portland Trail Blazers are still in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs. The first-time All-Star should be a cinch to win Most Improved Player as he’s putting together a career year. The first Israeli-born player selected to the NBA All-Star Game is averaging 25.5 points per game, easily the best of his career and a significant jump from his first season with the Blazers (16.9).

Forward Pascal Siakam from Cameroon was named to his fourth All-Star game as a reserve despite the Indiana Pacers’ abysmal record. Siakam has led the Pacers in scoring and rebounding this season, averaging 23.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists.

Two potential injury replacements on the World team are Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen and Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun.

Finland’s Markkanen ranks ninth in the league in scoring (27.9). He would be the ideal small ball 4 or stretch 4, allowing the guards on the World team space to operate. Sengun, who powered Turkey to a silver medal at EuroBasket 2025, is enjoying the best season of his young NBA career, posting career highs in points, assists, steals, blocks, field goal attempts, and free throw percentage.

About the only question marks for the World team are health and availability. Jokic is nursing a knee injury, Doncic has had an assortment of ailments, and Antetokounmpo will likely miss the All-Star game because of a calf injury. If fully healthy and able to participate in the showcase event in L.A., the World team is a scary squad on paper.

Team World’s starting backcourt of Luka and Shai are the top two scorers in the NBA, and its massive starting frontcourt could block the sun.

In a perfect situation, one of the U.S. teams will play Team World in the finals. And don’t bet against the World team.

Dennis Schroder etched his name in FIBA lore with one of the best closing performances you’ll ever see.

The 31-year-old point guard scored six points in the final minute to lead Germany to its first EuroBasket title since 1993. Germany defeated Turkey 88-83 in the gold medal game held at Riga, Latvia.

The win comes two years after Deutschland — largely with the same core group of players — won the FIBA World Cup title in 2023 in Manila. The rare double of winning the World Cup and European championships boosts Germany into the top tier in FIBA, and it could now lay claim to the title of second-best team in the world behind only the United States.

“We never shy away from the big moments. It’s not just Franz, it’s not just me, it’s the whole team,” said Schroder, who finished the final with 16 points, a game-high 12 assists, and he was named MVP of EuroBasket 2025. Schroder became only the seventh player to win MVP at both EuroBasket and the FIBA World Cup. The other six were Sergei Belov, Drazen Dalipagic, Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol. All six are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The German captain was also named to the all-tournament team, joining teammate Franz Wagner, Turkey’s Alperen Sengun, Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic.

“To be a World Cup winner and European champ, it’s big time,” said Schroder, who averaged 20.3 points and 7.2 assists for the entire tournament.

Winning EuroBasket elevates Schroder’s profile. His NBA credentials may not be up to par with other established stars like LeBron James or Kevin Durant — he’s now on his ninth NBA team in 12 seasons — but he’s building an impressive FIBA resume.

And his performance down the stretch in the gold medal match against Turkey was one for the ages.

After Shane Larkin put Turkey ahead by one point with 1:34 left in the fourth quarter, Schroder answered seconds later with a lefty layup high off glass over Sengun to give Germany an 84-83 lead. Then with under 24 seconds remaining and the shot clock winding down, Schroder calmly pulled up from free throw line and swished a rainbow jumper over Ercan Osmani to put the Germans up by three with 18.4 seconds left.

Turkey had an opportunity to tie but Sengun’s desperation 3-point heave barely drew iron. Schroder grabbed the rebound and iced the game with two free throws.

Germany joins the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Spain as the only nations to hold both FIBA World Cup and FIBA EuroBasket trophies at the same time.

Turkey reached the final for only the second time in 25 years after dismantling Greece 94-68 in the semifinals. Osmani starred with 18 of his 28 points in the first half alone, and Sengun added 15 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists.

Meanwhile, Germany booked their spot in the final after beating Finland 98-86. Schroder led the way with 26 points and 12 assists, with Franz Wagner adding 23 points in the win. Schroder’s 12 assists set a new EuroBasket record in the semifinals. Lauri Markkanen was held to 16 points (2-for-9 from 3-point and 6-for-17 from the field), eight points below his scoring average in the tournament. In two games against Germany, Markkannen was held to 13.5 points and 2-for-14 from behind the arc.

ONE-MAN SHOWS
EuroBasket 2025 produced many outstanding individual performances. From Luka Doncic’s historic scoring games to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s individual brilliance, the best basketball players in the world showed up and showed out in Riga.

Giannis put Greece on his back with a 30-point, 17-rebound performance in the bronze medal match against Finland. Giannis also added six assists, giving him a 20-10-5 stat line for the fourth time in the tournament. No other player has more than three over the last 30 years of EuroBasket.

It was Greece’s first EuroBasket medal since winning bronze in 2009. Head coach Vassilis Spanoulis was on the last Greek team that made the podium in EuroBasket.

Giannis called winning a bronze medal for his country “one of his biggest accomplishments.”

“I know I’ve won an NBA championship, but there’s no feeling like representing your national team and representing 12 million people that breathe and live this national team. This is probably the greatest accomplishment so far in my life,” the Milwaukee Bucks star said.

The Greek Freak scored 37 points, going 18-for-23 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds in leading Greece to an 84-79 win over Israel in the Round of 16. Only one other player on Greece scored in double figures (Kostas Sloukas had 11 points).

Luka Doncic’s one-man show continued in the knockout stage as the L.A. Lakers superstar dropped 42 points on 11-for-19 from the field, including 5-for-11 from 3-point, and had 10 rebounds in carrying Slovenia past Italy 84-77. The 42 points are five points off Doncic’s EuroBasket high mark of 47 against France in 2022.

Slovenia was eliminated by eventual EuroBasket champ Germany in the quarterfinals. In a loss, Doncic dropped 39 points on 11-for-25 shooting from the field and hit five 3-pointers. He also added 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Doncic finished with a tournament-best 34.7 points per game, becoming only the third player to average north of 30 points. Doncic’s 34.7 average is the third-best mark in tournament history. Only Greek legend Nikos Galis had a better tournament scoring average. Galis averaged 37.0 in 1987 and 35.6 in 1989.

SHOCKING UPSETS
In the most stunning result of the tournament, gold medal favorite Serbia was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Finland despite 33 points from Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. The Joker is still searching for that elusive FIBA gold medal, and this is the second straight EuroBasket tournament that Serbia went out in the Round of 16. Serbia lost to Italy in the Round of 16 in 2022, and now they bow out in the same stage in 2025, this time to Finland.

Finland got a team-high 29 points from Lauri Markkanen and timely 3-pointers from Elias Valtonen. The Fins pounded Serbia on the boards to the tune of 45-36 advantage, including 20 offensive rebounds.

Finland started on fire and went up 11-1 and extended the lead to 16-5 midway through the first quarter.

“They played a great game. From the start we didn’t come ready. I just wasn’t ready from the jump,” said Serbia forward Nikola Jovic, who plays for the Miami Heat. “Their 20 offensive rebounds were just unacceptable. We knew what they were doing, we prepared well, we watched film, still they managed to just better and more physical than us.”

The other major upset in the Round of 16 was Georgia beating France 80-70. The Paris Olympics silver medalists led for just four minutes as Georgia, behind the outside shooting of Bayern Munich guard Kamar Baldwin. Baldwin, who played college ball at Butler but went undrafted, picked a perfect timing for his EuroBasket career-high, scoring 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.

The most talked about “revenge body” in the NBA since Shaquille O’Neal dropped a boatload of weight after he was traded from the L.A. Lakers to the Miami Heat in 2004 will be on full display at EuroBasket 2025.

Armed with a brand new body and brand new three-year, $165 million contract extension with the L.A. Lakers, Luka Doncic will be one of the biggest storylines to watch at the FIBA European championships, co-hosted by Cyprus, Finland, Poland, and Latvia. The finals will be held at Riga, Latvia.
Doncic’s body transformation isn’t the only thing different about him. The Lakers superstar is also more assertive, and his Slovenia teammates are taking notice.

“He’s embracing the challenge of being the face of a francise in the NBA and here. His words carry weight,” Slovenia guard Klemen Prepelic told SportKlub about his longtime national team teammate.

“You can already see signs of the new Luka,” Prepelic added. “It’s probably something expected of him by the Lakers as well. He’s the leader now. His voice counts the most.”

Doncic was basically fat-shamed by his former general manager, Dallas Mavericks executive Nico Harrison, when Harrison went on his why-did-you-trade-Luka explanation tour. Harrison said the main reason why the Mavs shipped Luka to L.A. was because of Doncic’s questionable work habits and conditioning.

Doncic used it as motivation as he worked himself into the best shape of his basketball career. The 26-year-old global star shed some serious pounds by committing to an offseason training program and a stricter diet. The end result was a body transformation that nearly broke the internet.
Images with the hashtag “Slim Luka” surfaced all over social media after Men’s Health published photos of an almost unrecognizable Doncic and his newly ripped body. Practically everyone with a TV show and a podcast couldn’t stop talking about it.

Doncic will put his slender body to the test as he leads Slovenia against a stacked tournament field that includes FIBA powerhouses Serbia, France and reigning World Cup champions Germany.

Here are the teams to watch at EuroBasket:

Teams with Star Power but Lack Firepower
SLOVENIA – Luka Doncic was only a teenager when Slovenia stunned the hoops world and won EuroBasket in 2017. But that was eight years ago and Goran Dragic is no longer around to help Luka. Slovenia enters the EuroBasket 2025 with a top-10 rating in the EuroBasket power rankings but the road to the title got tougher after forward Vlatko Cancar, formerly of the Denver Nuggets, withdrew from the competition, leaving the squad extremely thin in the frontcourt. Slovenia will be outmanned and outgunned.

Despite not having the necessary firepower, they have one nuke in the form of Luka Doncic. Any team with Doncic can’t be counted out because the L.A. Lakers superstar is capable of carrying an entire nation on his back.

GREECE – If Luka Doncic is the center of the Slovenian universe, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the solar energy that powers the Greek national squad. The two-time NBA MVP from the Milwaukee Bucks by himself is capable of backpacking Hellas and carry it out of the group stage and into the knockout round. But he won’t be alone in this fight. Giannis will be joined by two of his brothers, Kostas and Thanasis. Giannis plays better when he has family around him.

Tournament Dark Horses
TURKEY – Turkey drew the short end of the stick when it was placed in the same group as Serbia. Despite being in a tough group, Turkey has enough firepower to finish second in the group and qualify for the knockout stage. The head of the Turkish squad is Houston Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun. The 22-year-old big man is coming off a solid NBA season (19 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists) and he’s primed to announce his presence at the FIBA stage. Sengun has plenty of help on the frontcourt. Adem Bona carved out a solid role as a rotational player with the Philadelphia 76ers and he’s coming off a strong showing for the Sixers at the NBA summer league. Cedi Osman, who played six seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and now playing for Panathinaikos in Greece, and Furkan Korkmaz (played seven seasons with the 76ers) provide Turkey with two outstanding shooters. Shane Larkin — son of baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin — is the team’s starting point and might the most important player. If Larkin has a strong tournament, Turkey could be in the medal round.

ITALY – The Italians are entering the tournament with plenty of momentum, with one of their wins in the friendlies coming against Kristaps Porzingis (Atlanta Hawks) and Latvia. Italy is in Group C with Spain and Greece. Spain isn’t the same basketball power it once was and it’s undergoing a changing of the guard while Greece is beatable if Giannis has a poor outing. Italy’s roster doesn’t have the star power but it has solid NBA-level talent. Simone Fontecchio and Nico Melli lead a balanced Azzurri squad capable of advancing past the group stage and into the knockout round.

Top 3 Teams Competing for the Podium
3. FRANCE – Despite the absence of Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, and Nic Batum, France remains one of the top contenders because of its incredible talent depth. France will definitely miss Wemby’s game-changing skills, Gobert’s defense and Batum’s leadership, but there is no talent shortage on this year’s EuroBasket squad. Les Bleus fields a talented roster full of current NBA players — Bilal Coulibaly (Washington Wizards), Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks), Alex Sarr (Wizards), Guerschon Yabusele (New York Knicks) — and former NBA players like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Theo Maledon. France has so much depth the team cut former New York Knick guard Frank Ntilikina, Moussa Diabate (Hornets) and Ousmane Dieng (OKC Thunder). With Wemby, Gobert and Batum not on the squad, there is a void that could be filled by younger French studs such as Risacher and Sarr to step out of the shadows of their more famous veterans and get their own shine.

2. GERMANY – Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner headline a battle tested German squad that brings back the core group that won gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila. Andreas Obst, one of the best shooters in the German Bundesliga, joins Schroder in the backcourt, giving the Germans a superb 1-2 punch at point guard and shooting guard. Steady 3-and-D wing Isaac Bonga and NBA veteran center Daniel Theis round out the core unit that won the FIBA World Cup. Leading scorer Franz Wagner will be tasked with a bigger role, especially with his brother Mo Wagner sidelined as he’s recovering from a torn ACL. Tristan da Silva, Franz’s teammate with the Orlando Magic, might be an X factor and could be part of the finishing lineup. The pressure is on first-year coach Alex Mumbru to maintain the momentum built up over the last two years.

1. SERBIA – With a stacked roster that includes three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, the Serbians (rated No. 2 in the FIBA world rankings) are the heavy favorites to reach the final in Riga and hoist the EuroBasket trophy.

The Serbians have very little weaknesses and they are simply too good and too big to fail. They have a surplus of size and length, from guards to forwards to centers. Head coach Svetislav Pesic has a plethora of shooters like Bogdan Bogdanovic (L.A. Clippers), Aleksa Avramovic (Dubai), and Marko Guduric (Olimpia Milano).

Serbia has great size up front with 6-10 Nikola Jovic (Miami Heat), 6-11 Tristan Vukcevic (Washington Wizards), 6-11 Filip Petrusev, 7-0 Nikola Milutinov. And they have The Joker, the best center in the world.

Serbia will compete against host nation Latvia, Turkey, Estonia, Portugal and Czechia in Group A. Serbia should advance to the knockout round as Group A winner, and should be one of the finalists in Latvia.

Jokic led Serbia to a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the Denver Nuggets superstar has never won a gold medal for his country in FIBA competition. Winning EuroBasket would be a tremendous accomplishment for The Joker, and this unit might be the best Serbian team Jokic has ever been a part of in his international career. This is the year when Jokic breaks through and finally captures that elusive gold medal for Serbia.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastbreak.net. Follow and subscribe to his YouTube channel at @onemanfastbreak1.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put a stamp on his remarkable 2024-25 season after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the city’s first NBA championship.

SGA joined a very short list of players who won an NBA title, regular season MVP and NBA Finals MVP while leading the league in scoring. The list includes Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and SGA. Before SGA’s amazing season, Shaq was the last scoring leader to win a championship and MVPs in the same season. Jordan is the only player to pull off the rare feat more than once (1991, 1992, 1996, 1998). Jordan and Shai, who averaged a league-leading 32.7 points per game, are the only guards to win a scoring title and championship in the same season.

“It’s hard to believe I’m even part of that group,” Gilgeous-Alexander said during his postgame media session with the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy sitting on the table. “It’s hard the fathom that I’m that type of basketball player. As a kid, you dream. Every kid dreams. But you don’t really know if it’s gonna come true. I’m just glad my dreams were able to come true.”

Shai also became the first player since Stephen Curry in 2015 to win MVP and a championship in the same season, and first player since LeBron James in 2013 to win regular season MVP and Finals MVP honors in the same season.

Where does Shai rank on OneManFastBreak’s annual top-five list? Take a look at this year’s OMFB Furious Five.

***

Each year OneManFastBreak.net ranks the five best players in the NBA. The OMFB Furious Five pays homage to the five styles of Chinese martial arts: snake, crane, monkey, praying mantis, and tiger.

The ranking system is based on one man’s opinion and does not follow or conform to any standard format, with more emphasis placed on how each player and their respective teams performed in the postseason. Stars are born during the regular season, but legends are made in the playoffs.

In 2024, OMFB Furious Five featured Jaylen Brown (5), Giannis Antetokounmpo (4), Luka Doncic (3), Jayson Tatum (2), Nikola Jokic (1).

Without further ado, here are the five best basketball players in the world.

5-JALEN BRUNSON
New York Knicks, Guard

Jalen Brunson’s arrival in New York may be one of the league’s most transformative acquisitions of the past decade. The two-time NCAA champion from Villanova has blossomed into one of the NBA’s best players after spending four seasons riding the pine in Dallas.

Jalen is arguably the most impactful player to wear a Knicks jersey since Patrick Ewing, and he’s giving New York its best shot at ending a five-decade title drought. Brunson was named to the 2025 All-NBA second team and received the Clutch Player of the Year for his uncanny ability to deliver big shots in the big moments for the Knicks.

During the regular season, he averaged 26.0 points and 7.3 assists across 35.4 minutes per game in 65 games. He amped it up in the postseason, averaging 29.4 points and leading the Knicks to their first appearance in the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years. He hit the 30-point mark in four of the six games in the conference finals against the Pacers, but it wasn’t enough as the Knicks fell in six games.

A week after being eliminated, the Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau. Knicks brass felt the team — with Brunson as the leader — is close to winning a championship, and it was time for a new voice and a coach who can help Brunson and the Knicks get over the hump. Brunson’s decision to sign a four-year, $156.5 million extension shows he’s prioritizing bringing a championship to New York above all else. He could have signed a five-year, $269.1 million max deal, but by giving the Knicks the hometown discount and allowing the franchise salary cap flexibility.

4-GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO
Milwaukee Bucks, Forward

A calf strain forced Giannis Antetokounmpo to watch his Bucks get eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. This year, Giannis and Bucks watched Damian Lillard rupture his Achilles tendon in the first round and the Pacers eliminated the Bucks for a second straight season.

Giannis put together another outstanding season, averaging 30.4 points (second in NBA), 11.9 rebounds (sixth in NBA), a career-high-tying 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 60.1% from the field (sixth in NBA). Giannis led the Bucks to the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup championship and named the Emirates NBA Cup MVP.

As long as Giannis is healthy and playing, the Bucks remain one of the top teams in the East. But for how long will he keep playing for the Bucks? Only Giannis knows the answer.

“I feel like there’s a lot of time that life has made me said or, like, frustrated since I was a kid – I never gave up,” Antetokounmpo said following the Bucks’ season-ending loss to the Indiana Pacers. “I always try to find solutions in my life, which I think it translates to the basketball court. I always try to, even though things might not happen the way I want it to happen, I always have class and I have this optimistic mentality of coming back, keep on working and there’s going to be a day that’s gonna be your turn. It cannot always go your way.”

3-TYRESE HALIBURTON
Indiana Pacers, Guard

Tyrese Haliburton redefined what it meant to be “clutch” in the 2025 NBA postseason. Since the NBA’s play-by-play era began in the 1996-97 season, LeBron James has the most postseason shots to either tie or take the lead in the final three seconds of regulation or overtime with eight. Before the 2025 postseason, no one else had more than four in nearly the past 30 years. Haliburton delivered four game-tying or game-winning shots in one postseason run — one clutch shot in each round.

The 25-year-old Pacers point guard played like a man possessed. You could tell Hali was bothered by being labeled “overrated” by an anonymous panel of his peers, which was published by The Athletic. Haliburton wore that “overrated” label like a badge of honor. He used the disrespect as motivation in authoring the greatest playoff run by a single player. He took it out on his peers, sending them home in the playoffs one by one.

Haliburton sent Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks home in the first round and he sent Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers home in the conference semifinals. Both series ended in five games, with Haliburton playing a key role in slamming the door. Haliburton gave us one of the most iconic moments in sports with his game-tying shot at Madison Square Garden, making him public enemy No. 1 in New York City.

The Pacers came back from a nine-point deficit in 52.5 seconds in Game 1, with Haliburton sinking a dagger jump shot that bounced five feet in the air before swishing through the net. The dagger shot and the choke sign celebration — an ode to Reggie Miller’s pose in front of Spike Lee — will linger in the memories of Knicks fans for a long time. The “Hali Clutch Tour” rolled into Oklahoma City in the Game 1 of the NBA Finals and didn’t disappoint. Haliburton’s 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave Indiana its first and only lead of the game as the Pacers struck down the Thunder 111-110. “Man, basketball’s fun. Winning is fun,” Haliburton said after his game winner.

An Achilles injury was the only thing that derailed the Haliburton train. He seemingly was well on his way to a big Game 7 in the NBA Finals when his Achilles tendon snapped seven minutes into the first quarter. When Hali fell to the ground he pounded the floor, not just from the pain he was feeling on his foot but from the emotional pain. His body failed him at the worst possible time.

2-NIKOLA JOKIC
Denver Nuggets, Center

Nikola Jokic has been so consistently good the past five years that we’ve grown accustomed to his basketball brilliance.

The Joker is one of nine players to win at least three MVPs, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5), Bill Russell (5), Wilt Chamberlain (4), LeBron James (4), Larry Bird (3), Magic Johnson (3) and Moses Malone (3).

Jokic had the best season of his career in 2024-25, which is absurd considering Joker is a three-time MVP and 2023 NBA champion. This past season, he averaged a career-high 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, a career-high 10.2 assists and a career-high 1.8 steals while shooting 57.6% from the field and a career-high 41.7% from three in 36.7 minutes per game. He became just the third player in NBA history to average a triple double for a single season, joining Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson. Westbrook and Robertson are guards and primary ball handlers, which makes Jokic’s triple-double season even more impressive considering he’s a center.

The big man from Serbia was named to his fifth All-NBA first-team selection for the fifth consecutive year and finished second in the MVP voting. He led the Denver Nuggets to the second round before losing to Oklahoma City in seven games. Jokic’s size and skill gave OKC all kinds of problems, and if the Nuggets had better production from their bench they might have knocked off OKC.

Time will tell where Jokic will ultimately land on the list of all-time great centers. Jokic’s resume speaks for itself. But in order for Joker to match or surpass Kareem, Russell, Wilt, Moses, Hakeem, Shaq, and Duncan, he needs to win more than just one NBA championship.

And now, the No. 1 player in the world. Drum roll please . . .

1-SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER
Oklahoma City Thunder, guard

Lou Williams had a front row seat to Shai’s early development having been his teammate during SGA’s rookie season with the Clippers. He observed how Shai dedicated himself to improving at just 20 and is now seeing him emerge as one of the best basketball players in the world at age 26.

Lou Will said this about Shai on the “Run It Back” podcast on FanDuel TV: “He was always a responsible player who carried himself like a mature professional. He had big aspirations and was clear about his endgame. He knew his abilities.”

SGA embodies the qualities of a throwback player who understands the importance of consistency and patience in achieving the ultimate goal of winning a championship.

Behind Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder (68-14) finished atop the NBA and tied for the sixth-best single-season record in league history. Oklahoma City outscored opponents by an NBA-record 12.9 points per game.

Gilgeous-Alexander joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 32.0 points and 6.0 assists per game and shoot 50.0% or better from the field in a season. Jordan accomplished the feat twice (1989 and 1990).

Shai had his Jordan moment in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. He came up big in a must-win game for the Thunder. A loss would have meant a 3-1 hole. A win meant the series tied 2-2.

The Pacers had an opportunity to put a stranglehold on the series after taking a four-point lead with four minutes left in the game. That’s when SGA put on his Batman cape and took over.

“I just tried to be aggressive. I knew what it would look like if we had lost [Game 4], and I didn’t want to go out not swinging,” SGA said about taking over in the last three minutes.

“I didn’t want to go out not doing everything in my power to try to win the game,” he added. “The guys deserve that much from me, the coaching staff deserves that much from me. I just tried to be aggressive, but also let the game come to me and not to force anything and not do anything crazy. I guess it paid off.”

Shai absolutely sensed the moment, scoring 13 of his team’s final 14 points including a contested step-back baseline jumper over Aaron Nesmith where he nearly fell to the floor but somehow regained his balance and buried a clutch shot to give OKC the lead for good.

He finished the game with a game-high 35 points on 12-for-24 shooting from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line in leading OKC to a 111-104 victory to tie the series. The Thunder went on to beat the Pacers in seven games to win the championship.

“That’s what it is all about. Winning, especially at this time of the season, it comes down to the moments, it’s gonna come down to end of game … it’s gonna come down to the moments where who makes winning plays,” Shai said. “I relish those moments. Love the moments, good or bad. When I was a kid shooting on my driveway, I’ve count down the clock for those moments and I now get to live it. It’s fun. I relish it.”

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastbreak.net. Follow and subscribe to his YouTube channel at @onemanfastbreak1.

Photo credits: Associated Press and Getty Images

Giannis Antetokounmpo was determined to win the NBA Cup. He came close in 2023, losing in the semifinals. A year later, Giannis and Milwaukee Bucks had some unfinished business in Las Vegas. They took care of business with an impressive all-around performance.

Behind a suffocating defense and a triple-double from tournament MVP Antetokounmpo, the Bucks throttled the Oklahoma City Thunder, 97-81, to claim the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup title. Giannis was a major factor on both ends of the court as he finished the game with 26 points, pulled down 19 rebounds, dished out 10 assists and had three monster blocks.

Antetokounmpo anchored a Bucks defense that stymied the high-scoring Thunder, holding them to 33.7% shooting from the field and 5-for-32 from the 3-point line. OKC star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was held nine points below his season average (21) and made just 8-for-24 shots from the field.

“We’re getting better,” Antetokounmpo told ESPN’s Malika Andrews postgame. “We know we’re leaving Vegas as a better team. I’m so proud of this group. Man, I’m so proud of this group.”

It was refreshing to see a superstar like Giannis put maximum effort during the whole NBA Cup tournament. He could have easily taken his foot off the gas pedal and saved his body for the stretch run in the spring. But you can tell he wanted to win the Cup.

When it was over, Giannis couldn’t hide his excitement after lifting the NBA Cup trophy and the tournament MVP trophy, adding to his growing collection of trophies. He was dancing and hamming it up with his teammates and coaches during the postgame celebration on the court at T-Mobile Arena.

But Giannis knows there’s more work to be done. He’s far from done hoisting trophies.

“Job is not done,” he said. “We have a lot of basketball in front of us. We have a lot of things we need to improve. We are going to continue to improve. We’re going to stay locked in because the job is not done.”

Winning the NBA Cup was extra special for this Bucks squad following a dreadful 2-8 start, and many basketball experts were wondering if the partnership between Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard was ever going to work. But head coach Doc Rivers believed his team will eventually figure it out, especially defensively.

“We struggled coming out of the gates,” Rivers said. “No one here doubted what we can be and who we can be and we just hung in there. We stuck together and this is the byproduct of a team sticking together.”

It’s easy for a team to stick together and not fall apart when the leader of the team is also the most humble and harder worker. The Bucks are Giannis’ team. He sets the tone and leads by example.

“When he’s out there playing so hard, you can’t do anything but follow his lead,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said about the two-time NBA MVP. “He’s the best player in the world. You gotta follow him. He’s such an incredible leader.”

Moments after helping the Boston Celtics capture the franchise’s 18th NBA championship banner, Jaylen Brown was awarded the Bill Russell trophy after being named the most valuable player of the NBA Finals. Brown graciously accepted the trophy from commissioner Adam Silver. Then, he gave a thoughtful and self-effacing remark.

“I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime Jayson Tatum,” said Brown, who has been playing alongside Tatum for seven seasons in Boston and both have absorbed a ton of criticism following three losses in the conference finals, including last year’s disappointing Game 7 loss at TD Garden to the Miami Heat.

“These last seven years have been a roller coaster, up and down. I had to listen to all the s*** that people said about me,” Tatum said.

Celtics general manager Brad Stevens had full faith in the resolve of his two superstars. He trusted that they’ll rebound from the playoff loss to the Heat and come back the following year with a vengeance. And they sure did.

Tatum and Brown played the entire 2023-24 season with massive chips on their shoulders and took out all their frustrations on the rest of the league. The Celtics blitzed through the regular season with a league-best 64 wins and lost just three games in the postseason.

“We’ve been through a lot, the losses, the expectations,” Brown told reporters. “The media have said all different types of things: We can’t play together, we are never going to win. We heard it all. But we just blocked it out, and we just kept going. I trusted him. He trusted me. And we did it together.”

Every championship team over the last four decades have had a great 1-2 punch. Tatum and Brown are the latest dynamic duo to etch their names on basketball lore. Where do Tatum and Brown rank on OneManFastBreak’s annual top-five list? Take a look at this year’s OMFB Furious Five.

***

Each year OneManFastBreak.net ranks the five best players in the NBA. The OMFB Furious Five pays homage to the five styles of Chinese martial arts: snake, crane, monkey, praying mantis, and tiger.

The ranking system is based on one man’s opinion and does not follow or conform to any standard format, with more emphasis placed on how each player and their respective teams performed in the postseason. Stars are born during the regular season, but legends are made in the playoffs.

In 2023, OMFB’s Furious Five featured Jimmy Butler (5), Stephen Curry (4), Joel Embiid (3), Giannis Antetokounmpo (2), Nikola Jokic (1).

Without further ado, here are the five best basketball players in the world.

***

5-JAYLEN BROWN
Boston Celtics, Guard-Forward

Brown wasn’t named to the All-NBA team or the All-Defensive team during the 2023-24 season. Think about that for a minute. The MVP of the 2024 NBA Finals and Eastern Conference finals MVP wasn’t voted on first-team, second-team or third-team All-NBA. Also, he was not named to first-team or second-team All-Defense.

To say that it was a snub was a major understatement. Brown is without a doubt one of the best two-way players in the NBA. He belongs in the top 15 on offense and top 10 on defense. He left little doubt about his status with one of the all-time great performances in the 2024 playoffs.

Against the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals, Brown averaged 29.8 points in the Celtics’ four-game sweep. Brown hit the series-defining shot in Game 1 when he drained a corner 3-pointer to send the game into overtime where Boston took control. From that point, the Pacers could never regain control of the series.

Against the Mavericks in the NBA Finals, Brown took on the defensive challenge of guarding the Dallas Mavericks’ all-world point guard Luka Doncic. He made Doncic earn every point and held the league’s best playmaker to 5.6 assists and 24% shooting from 3-point range. Brown could have easily gloated in front of the media when he had the mic during the postgame Finals pressers. But he took the high road and let his performances speak for themselves.

4-GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO
Milwaukee Bucks, Forward

A calf strain forced Giannis Antetokounmpo to watch his Bucks get eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs.

The two-time NBA MVP felt that he let his teammates down by not being on the court as the Pacers took full advantage of a Giannis-less Bucks squad and won the series in six games. Giannis vowed to do everything in his power to get his body right for the next season.

Antetokounmpo told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that missing the final 22 days of the Bucks season was one of the more difficult stretches of his 11-year career.

“I was trying to push myself and push myself and push myself to get to a place where maybe I can’t check the boxes, but maybe I can even go out there and help, but in our opinion it was not safe for me to be out there because I couldn’t run full speed,” Antetokounmpo said.

Prior to his injury, Giannis put together another outstanding season, averaging 30.4 points while shooting 61.1% from the field. The Bucks remain one of the top teams in the East, but they need a healthy Giannis to compete for a championship.

3-LUKA DONCIC
Dallas Mavericks, Guard

Doncic had one of best season’s of his young career, leading the league in scoring (33.9), finishing third in the MVP voting, and authoring the signature moment of the regular season when he dropped 73 points against the Atlanta Hawks. It was the fourth-highest point total in NBA history and trails only Wilt Chamberlain (100 and 78) and Kobe Bryant (81).

Luka was the driving force behind the Mavericks’ impressive run to the NBA Finals. It was the franchise’s first appearance in the Finals since Dirk Nowitzki led them there in 2011.

But Doncic’s body couldn’t hold up through the entire playoff grind as he physically struggled down the stretch with a plethora of injuries. He received a pain-killing injection ahead of Game 2 in the Finals and played through much of the playoffs with a sprained knee.

Doncic didn’t make any excuses when he was asked about his ailments.

“It doesn’t matter if I was hurt, how much was I hurt,” he told reporters following Dallas’ 106-88 loss in Game 5 at TD Garden. “I was out there. I tried to play, but I didn’t do enough.”

Some of basketball’s greatest players, including Nowitzki, lost the first time they made the NBA Finals. Nowitzki lost to the Miami Heat in 2006, but learned from that loss and got over the hump in 2011. Doncic will certainly take the painful lessons from his Finals loss and learn from them when he gets another shot. He understands that he has to stop complaining to the referees, play better defense, and get in better shape.

2-JAYSON TATUM
Boston Celtics, Forward

Tatum let his emotions pour out after the Celtics won the NBA title. He understood what it meant for him being the face of a storied franchise. He can now join the table reserved for Celtics greats such as Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Larry Bird, and Kevin Garnett. Winning an NBA title was a career-defining accomplishment for Tatum. “All the sacrifice was worth it,” he told reporters.

Tatum is generally known for his ability to put the ball in the basket. And he’s darn good at it. But critics were quick to point out his flaws after losing to Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals and to Jimmy Butler’s Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals. Many pundits started doubting Tatum’s ability to lead a team and be able to handle the pressure of being a superstar. Even Mavericks coach Jason Kidd took a swipe at Tatum by telling reporters that Jaylen Brown was the Celtics’ best player.

Tatum absorbed all the blows and kept on grinding. He added layers to game to become more of a complete player. His play-making skills were on full display during the 2024 NBA Finals. Despite struggling from the field (38.8%), he impacted the game in multiple ways. He led Boston in rebounds (7.8) and assists (7.2), and took on the challenge of defending his position as the team’s primary 4-man.

“I think he makes everyone’s life easier,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said about Tatum. “One because of who he is as a person, the type of character he has. I think your franchise player has to be a cornerstone of what you do. It starts with his high character, just the way he carries himself as a person, as a dad, as a teammate.”

Tatum may not have collected any hardware during the 2023-24 season, but doesn’t need trophies to prove his greatness. He was Boston’s best player all season, leading team in scoring (26.9) and rebounding (8.1). Tatum could have easily been named Eastern Conference finals MVP after averaging 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists in sweeping the Pacers. By comparison, Brown averaged 29.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

Tatum became the sixth player since 1980 to lead his team in points, rebounds and assists in the playoffs while winning a title. The other five were Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, and Nikola Jokic. That’s some pretty good company there.

And now, the No. 1 player in the world. Drum roll please . . .

1-NIKOLA JOKIC
Denver Nuggets, Center

Nikola Jokic has been so consistently brilliant that he could have easily been named MVP four straight years. The known as The Joker won his third regular-season MVP in four years, becoming just the ninth player in NBA history to win at least three MVPs, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), Wilt Chamberlain (four), LeBron James (four), Larry Bird (three), Magic Johnson (three) and Moses Malone (three).

Jokic ranked 10th in points (26.4), fourth in rebounds (12.4) and third in assists (9.0) while missing just three regular season games. He became the second player to have at least 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 700 assists in a season, joining Oscar Robertson who pulled off the feat in 1962.

Behind the Serbian big man, the Denver Nuggets won 57 wins and earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. In a highly anticipated matchup against LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the first round of the playoffs, Nuggets eliminated the L.A. Lakers in five games with Jokic averaging nearly a triple-double (28.2 points, 16.2 rebounds, 9.8 points). The Jokic-Davis matchup pitted the league’s best offensive weapon against the league’s best defender. Even though the series went just five games, it shaved plenty of skin off the Nuggets.

In the conference semifinals, the Nuggets were stretched to the limit by the upstart Minnesota Timberwolves. The T-Wolves pulled off the improbable, winning Game 7 on Denver’s home court. Jokic did all he could to push the Nuggets forward, but he simply ran out of gas and got worn down by Minnesota’s trio of big men. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said his team looked “dead tired” and blamed fatigue for blowing a double-digit lead in Game 7 against the T-Wolves. The Nuggets’ starting unit of Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Jokic played 958 minutes together in the regular season. That’s more than any other five-man lineup in the last six NBA seasons.

Time will tell where Jokic will land on the list of the greats. If his career ended today, his legacy is secure and his spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is nearly guaranteed. He now wears the crown once held by Kareem, Russell, Wilt, Moses, Hakeem, Shaq, and Duncan as the game’s best and most dominant big man.

But Springfield can wait. The Joker still has plenty of greatness left in him, and he’s far from satisfied winning just one championship.

Giannis Antetokounmpo gave an honest response when TNT reporter Chris Haynes asked him why he doesn’t work out with other current NBA superstars.

“I cannot fake it,” the Milwaukee Bucks superstar said.

Antetokounmpo’s answer is a reminder of the type of special talent he is in today’s game. He combines his modern-day skillset with an old-school competitive nature. He is not interested in posting videos on social media working out with other NBA stars, which is quite refreshing when you think about it.

Can you imagine Larry Bird working out with Magic Johnson during the height of their playoff wars in the 1980s. Or can you imagine Michael Jordan seen working out with Isiah Thomas when the Detroit Pistons were bitter rivals with Jordan’s Chicago Bulls? It was unthinkable back then. But nowadays, it’s not uncommon to see NBA stars. Former NBA MVP Kevin Durant worked out with 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero. Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid and Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum both train with famed skills trainer coach Drew Hanlen. Hanlen is the founder of Pure Sweat, a basketball performance and strategic skills firm that has an A-list clientele that includes Embiid, Tatum, Bradley Beal, and Zach LaVine.

One NBA superstar you won’t be seeing in these viral video workouts is Giannis.

“How can you work out together when we are in the same league, we are going against one another. I’m trying to create something for my family, you’re trying to create something for your family,” Antetokounmpo said. “The reason I’m not winning a championship is you. The reason why I’m working out every single day (is you.) You are getting in my path, in my way. How the hell do I work out with you?”

Antetokounmpo is unapologetic when it comes to his temperament. He wears his heart and emotions on his sleeve. Just like the way he attacks the basket, he has a hard time holding back.

“I don’t know how to be fake,” he told Haynes, who couldn’t stop laughing while Giannis explains, in a candid and humorous way, why he finds hobnobbing with opponents is completely unnecessary.

“When you play them, you have to talk before the game with them,” Antetokounmpo said. “After the game, you have to sit down and have another conversation with them. And then when you go to the family room you see them and you gotta talk to them. And then when you see them in the post, you want to put shoulder into their chest you cannot do it because they might say after the game, ‘C’mon man. Whatcha doing?’ I cannot play the game like that.”

Giannis does make an exception. His disdain for viral video buddy workouts only applies to current NBA players. If you are retired like NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, whom Giannis trained with this summer, it’s an acceptable arrangement.

“I do not work out with people playing in the NBA right now. If you are not in the NBA, I have no problem working out with you,” he said. “If you’re in the NBA and I’m gonna see you this season? As I said, when I get to the city I have to text you to come out and hang out for dinner. And then the next day I have to see you pregame and then after the game. I don’t even take wife on a date, why would I take you on a date?”

Antetokounmpo is a superstar athlete who bucks the norm. He always tries to give thoughtful responses, which is very refreshing.

He addressed his contract situation during the Bucks media day, reiterating that it does not make sense financially to sign an extension with the team this year. He said he wanted to be a Milwaukee Buck for the rest of his career as long as the Bucks are committed to winning.

“I don’t remember where I said it, but I said it did not make sense to sign a contract right now because money isn’t important. But a lot of fucking money is important, so I’m going to sign it next year,” Antetokounmpo said. “I gotta always look out for what’s best for me and my family, for my situation, but at the end of the day, I want to be a Milwaukee Buck for the rest of my career as long as we are winning. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “Like what do you expect me to say? To be a Milwaukee Buck and be a loser? That’s never going to come out of my mouth.”

They don’t call him Nikola Jokic “The Joker” for nothing.

When a reporter covering the 2023 NBA Finals asked Jokic if he considers himself the best player in the world, he responded in classic Joker fashion. “I’m confused,” the Denver Nuggets superstar center replied. “It’s hard to say. Sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not. And I’m cool with that.”

What’s cool about Jokic is he lets his game do the talking. He may not possess the agility of Hakeem Olajuwon, the shot-blocker skills of Bill Russell, or the sheer power of Shaquille O’Neal. But he belongs in the pantheon of all-time big men.

Jokic relies on his basketball IQ and guard-like skills. He’s also quite good at filling in the blanks.

Need scoring? Jokic averaged 24 points per game.

Need rebounds? Jokic averaged nearly 12 boards.

Need a playmaker? Jokic averaged almost 10 assists.

“The MVPs are real. The triple-doubles are real,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said about his franchise player after sweeping the L.A. Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference finals. Three weeks later, Jokic would lead the Nuggets to the franchise’s first NBA championship after overpowering the Miami Heat in five games.

The beauty of Jokic’s game lies in it’s flexibility. He’s a shape shifter. He doesn’t fight the game or force the issue.

There was some talk from TV pundits that he’s padding his stats to strengthen his MVP case. This “silly narrative” irked Malone.

“The narratives, the silly narratives this year are just what, silly and somewhat ignorant,” Malone said. “I think Nikola has gone through three rounds now where he’s averaging a triple-double in the playoffs. Have you seen any stat-padding out there? I’m serious, enough of the silliness.”

Malone continued, “The guy is a great player; give him his damn respect. Stop chopping him down at the knees. He’s a great player, and give him the respect he deserves.”

Shaq certainly has Jokic’s respect. After Jokic produced a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut, Shaq welcomed Jokic into the fictional “Big Man Alliance.” Jokic humbly accepted the flowers from The Diesel.

***

Each year OneManFastBreak.net ranks the five best players in the NBA. The OMFB Furious Five pays homage to the five styles of Chinese martial arts: snake, crane, monkey, praying mantis, and tiger.

The ranking system is based on one man’s opinion and does not follow or conform to any standard format, with more emphasis placed on how each player and their respective teams performed in the postseason. Stars are born during the regular season, but legends are made in the playoffs.

In 2022, OMFB Furious Five featured Jayson Tatum (5), Nikola Jokic (4), Luka Doncic (3), Giannis Antetokounmpo (2), Steph Curry (1).

Without further ado, here are the five best basketball players in the world.

5. JIMMY BUTLER
Miami Heat, Forward

The Miami Heat have reached the NBA Finals twice since Jimmy Butler came to South Beach. And it could have easily been three Finals appearances if Butler’s 3-pointer in the waning moments of Game 7 in the 2022 Western Conference finals in Miami had gone in. “Next year, we will have enough, and we’re gonna be right be right back in this same situation and we’re gonna get it done,” Butler said after the Heat’s heartbreaking playoff loss.

Almost exactly one year later, the Heat found itself in the same situation. This time it was Game 7 in Boston’s TD Garden Arena with the surging Celtics having built up plenty of momentum to make a historic comeback after being down 0-3 in the series. The pressure was on Butler to deliver, and he delivered in Playoff Jimmy fashion. He scored a game-high 28 points despite struggling from the field (12-for-28 shooting) in 43 minutes. Despite battling fatigue, Butler grabbed seven rebounds, created scoring for others with six assists and was an absolute pest on defense with three steals. He also knocked down three timely 3-pointers. Butler also did the job on the defensive end as he bottled up Celtics All-NBA forward Jaylen Brown to 19 points on 8-for-23 shooting. Butler’s stifling defense also forced Brown into eight turnovers.

Butler, who was named the 2023 conference finals MVP, has firmly established himself as one of the best, if not the best, two-way players in basketball. But what separates Butler from other All-NBA studs is his grit. He can win a game with sheer will and determination. It’s not always pretty, but it is always effected.

“He’s one of those guys who competes at literally everything. Cards, UNO games … he’s just the ultimate competitor,” Heat guard Kyle Lowry told the Associated Press about Butler, who embodies everything about Heat Culture.

What exactly is Heat Culture? It’s about keeping the main thing the main thing. It’s about competing. It’s about winning.

The Heat Culture is not for everyone, but it perfectly fits Butler’s hard-charging personality.

“More than anything it’s just the belief that we have in one another, the belief that you must have in yourself to realize how special you can be in this league, in this moment, in this organization,” Butler told the AP. “I think everybody’s bought into that. Everybody’s confident. I don’t even know if overconfident is what you would call it, but it’s a thing. And our guys are playing some incredible basketball. So that Heat Culture, the confidence that Heat Culture instills in each and every one of us is very real.”

4. STEPHEN CURRY
Golden State Warriors, Guard

Steph Curry admits he is the NBA’s “petty king.” He sees and hears and remembers all the disses, the slights, and the snubs. It doesn’t matter if they are done in jest. If Curry thinks he or any member of his inner circle gets disrespected, he will clap back.

When a Boston bar trolled Curry’s wife, Ayesha, by posting a sign saying “Ayesha Curry Can’t Cook” the NBA’s greatest 3-point shooter fired right back by wearing a T-shirt to a postgame press conference that read “Ayesha Curry CAN Cook.”

When ESPN talking heads like Domonique Foxworth and Kendrick Perkins both predicted that Curry will win “zero” championships after signing his $215 contract extension with the Warriors, Steph put it in his memory bank and saved the retort for the right occasion. After Curry and the Warriors clinched their fourth NBA title in eight seasons, Curry called out Foxworth and Perkins during a postgame session with the media.

“I clearly remember some experts and talking heads putting up the big zero on how many championships we’d have going forward because of everything we went through,” Curry said. “We hear all that, we carry all that and try to maintain a purpose, not let it distract you. But you carry that weight.”

Curry has been carrying the weight of the Warriors since 2015 when he won the first of two straight MVPs and broke the Bay Area’s 40-year NBA title drought. For nearly a decade, the road to the championship had to go through Curry and Golden State. But the 2022-23 season was a trying season for Curry and the Warriors.

The normally buttoned-up franchise had to deal with the ugly Draymond Green incident where he was seen in a video punching teammate Jordan Poole during practice. The Warriors struggled to find their footing during the regular season and finished in sixth in the standings. There were flickers of hope that the Dubs dynasty would keep moving after Curry dropped a record-setting 50 points in Game 7 of the 2023 Western Conference first-round series against the Sacramento Kings in Sac Town. The Dubs’ tumultuous season came to an end one round later after getting eliminated by LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers in the conference semifinals.

3. JOEL EMBIID
Philadelphia 76ers, Center

Doc Rivers once asked Joel Embiid, “Have you ever seen an out-of-shape MVP?” Embiid laughed when he heard the question. Rivers then followed by saying, “It doesn’t exist.” The Philadelphia 76ers big man got the message loud and clear. In order for him to be at an MVP-level, he needed to work on his conditioning. He hired a chef and worked with a nutritionist. The renewed commitment to fitness turned Embiid into one of the most dominant centers the league has seen since Shaq and Tim Duncan.

Over the last three seasons, Embiid has averaged 28.5 points (2021), 30.6 (2022), and 33.1 (2023). He has led the NBA in scoring two years in a row. The last time a center did that was Shaq back in 2000. Embiid put an exclamation point on his remarkable 2022-23 season by dropping 52 points on a super efficient 20-for-25 shooting from the field against the Boston Celtics. After the game, Rivers told reporters that the MVP race was “over.”

Philly fans have been trusting the process for a decade. Thanks to Embiid, the 76ers are back to being one of the beasts in the East.

The 7-foot, 280-pound big man from Cameroon is an absolute two-way beast. He is an old-school centerpiece on offense who can destroy single coverage and command double teams. He forces teams to adjust. He has amazing footwork for a big man. It’s not quite Olajuwon level, but it’s getting very darn close. He has a vast array of low-post moves and shots, and he can drain the occasional 3-pointer if given space. Defensively, Embiid’s ability to be up on the pick-and-roll while also going back and protect the basket have made the Sixers one of the toughest teams to score on. He’s one of those guys who just has great size and skill and that allows him to be a top-notch defender. “He’s just smarter,” Rivers said of his center. “Smarter and able to cover ground. With this size, I never realized that he had the feet that he has and his IQ helps too. He’s a very smart defensive player so you don’t really know that till you coach a guy. I’ve been very impressed with him.”

2. GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO
Milwaukee Bucks, Forward

Don’t tell Giannis Antetokounmpo that his 2023 season was a failure. A reporter made the mistake of bringing up the F-word to Giannis moments after the Milwaukee Bucks became the sixth No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of the playoffs.

“It’s not a failure,” Giannis said after the Bucks were eliminated by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in five games. “It’s steps towards success,” he continued. “There’s always steps to it. Michael Jordan played 15 years. He won six championships. The other nine years, he was a failure? (No.) So why do you ask me that question? It’s the wrong question.

“There’s no failure in sports. There’s good days, bad days. Some days you’re able to be successful. Some days you’re not. Some days it’s your turn. Some days it’s not your turn. And that’s what sports is about. You don’t always win. Some other people are going to win. And this year, somebody else is going to win. Simple as that.”

The Greek Freak had another superlative individual season. He finished third in the MVP voting — averaging 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists — and led the Bucks to the best overall record in the NBA. Despite an outstanding regular season, Giannis’ 2023 season will be defined by his team’s stunning collapse in the first round.

Giannis has reached a point in his career that anything less than a championship is considered a failure. And that’s ok. It comes with the territory. The two-time MVP will undoubtedly use the Miami series as fuel for next season.

And now, the No. 1 player in the world. Drum roll please . . .

1. NIKOLA JOKIC
Denver Nuggets, Center

How good was Nikola Jokic in the 2023 NBA playoffs? Just ask Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

“I know how great Jokic is,” LeBron said after his L.A. Lakers were swept 4-0 by Jokic and the top-seeded Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.

“There are certain guys in this league that play the game a certain way, a certain way that I like to play the game as well, and he’s one of them,” LeBron said. “Where you are always off balance when you are guarding a player like that, because of his ability to score, rebound, shoot. He sees plays before they happen. There’s not many guys in our league like that.You already knew you was going against a beast once the series started… Everybody gets cracked up into his stats, but I don’t think a lot of people talk about this part of his game. Maybe it’s not talked about because a lot of people don’t understand it. But I do. He’s special.”

“I always knew how great he was,” Durant said after his Phoenix Suns squad were beaten 4-2 by the Nuggets in the conference semifinals. “Jokic is a all-time great,” Durant continued. “He’ll go down as one of the all-time great centers that ever touched a basketball. He went out there and did what he was supposed to do.”

The media narrative around Jokic’s historic eighth season in the NBA was that he was “stat padding” and his triple-doubles were not organic. This false narrative was one of the biggest reasons why Jokic was denied an opportunity to win his third consecutive regular-season MVP trophy, an award that went to Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid.

Only three players in the league history won three straight MVPs: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird. Some members of the media didn’t think Jokic belonged in that elite group. That’s an opinion that can be debated and litigated for hours, weeks, months, and years. There is no right or wrong answer. What can’t be debated was how Jokic performed during the 2023 NBA playoffs.

Jokic put up eye-popping stats in the Nuggets’ 4-2 series win over the Suns, averaging 34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 10.3 assists in 38.5 minutes.

He pulled off another impressive triple-double feat in the conference finals against the Lakers as he averaged 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 11.8 assists. He swished two off-balance 3-pointers over the best defensive center in the world, Anthony Davis, as the shot clock was running out. That’s when the Lakers knew it wasn’t going to be their day — or their series.

“Even when you guard him for one of the best possessions you think you can guard him, he puts the ball behind his head, Larry Bird style, and shoots it 50 feet in the air and it goes in,” LeBron said. “He did it 4-5 times this series.”

When Jokic was asked about those off-balance threes, he replied, “I’ve been off balance my whole life. It’s kind of normal for me.”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks were shocked. The betting favorites to win the 2023 NBA title went home in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, suffering through a painful 4-1 series loss to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat.

Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP and 2021 NBA champion, was forced to answer difficult questions after the Bucks became the sixth No. 1 seed to get bounced in the first round. One reporter asked Giannis if he considered the Bucks’ season a failure. The Greek Freak paused for a few seconds before delivering an impassioned response.

“It’s not a failure,” he said. “It’s steps towards success. There’s always steps to it. Michael Jordan played 15 years. He won six championships. The other nine years, he was a failure? (No.) So why do you ask me that question? It’s the wrong question.

“There’s no failure in sports. There’s good days, bad days. Some days you’re able to be successful. Some days you’re not. Some days it’s your turn. Some days it’s not your turn. And that’s what sports is about. You don’t always win. Some other people are going to win. And this year, somebody else is going to win. Simple as that.

“We’re going to come back next year, try to be better, try to build good habits, try to play better. Not have a 10-day stretch of playing bad basketball. And hopefully we can win a championship. So, for 50 years, from 1971 until we won in 2021, that we didn’t win a championship, it was 50 years of failure? No, it was not. It was steps to it. And we were able to win one. Hopefully we can win another one.”

By the end of the postgame press conference, Giannis gave a brutal but honest assessment of the Bucks’ stunning early exit. “They were playing to beat us and we were playing to win a championship”, Antetokounmpo said. “We were a little bit ahead of ourselves, to be honest.”

The rare admission from Giannis was refreshing and alarming. How can the Bucks — a team loaded with veterans with championship pedigree and armed with an MVP still in his prime — could look past the Heat in the first round? Did they think they could just jog past the Heat and expect them to advance? Did they think they had a free pass to the conference finals?

All those questions seem like valid explanations on why Milwaukee is out of the playoffs. But the largest share of the blame goes to head coach Mike Budenholzer.

Budenholzer put on a clinic on what not to do as a coach. Budenholzer treated the Heat series like the regular season. He made incremental adjustments and left his players on an island. Budenholzer was severely outcoached by Miami’s Erik Spoelstra. He also made shockingly terrible coaching decisions in the most crucial moments.

Antetokounmpo wished he could have spent more time guarding Heat superstar Jimmy Butler, but “out of respect” to Budenholzer, he played good soldier and accepted whatever the game plan was which was have Jrue Holiday stick with Butler and play drop coverage behind Holiday. “You gotta let the coach make that adjustment,” Antetokounmpo told reporters. “We have our best defender on [Butler]. There are conversations with Jrue [Holiday]. Whenever he gets tired, I can take him, but he’s so competitive. He plays so hard. He wants to take the challenge.”

Butler had a superb series, averaging 37.6 points in the five-game series and finishing with a game-high 42 points in Game 5. He had 56 points in a pivotal Game 4. Antetokounmpo did his best to keep the Bucks in the fight. He finished with 38 points and 20 rebounds in Game 5, but was an abysmal 10-for-23 from the free throw line.

The Bucks’ problems started in Game 1 when Antetokounmpo hurt his back after a hard fall. The Heat went on to steal Game 1 and Giannis missed the next two games due to the injury. The Bucks’ overly cautious approach to Giannis’ injury cost them both games in Miami, and the series was 3-1 in favor of Heat heading back to Milwaukee.

Facing elimination at home in Game 5, the Bucks blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and fell apart in overtime in a 128-126 loss. Milwaukee was held to only 16 points in the fourth and looked out of sorts. Budenholzer could have helped his team but settling them down, but he was just as shaky as his squad.

Budenholzer made three egregious mistakes down the stretch. With the Bucks clinging to a two-point lead with 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation, Budenholzer took out 7-foot center Brook Lopez — a candidate for NBA defensive player of the year — and decided to “match” the Heat’s small lineup. Guard Pat Connaughton ended up under the basket to contest the alley-oop play to Heat superstar Jimmy Butler, who made an incredible circus shot to tie the game at 118.

The second major Budenholzer flub was not calling timeout after Butler’s layup. The clock stopped at 0.5 when Jrue Holiday inbounded the ball. The Bucks had a timeout left, but Coach Bud decided to pocket it. Maybe he was saving it for the next game.

Then, the final nail on the Bucks’ coffin, thanks to Coach Bud, came on the final possession in overtime. Down by two with under 10 seconds left, Giannis grabbed a missed free throw and dribbled up the court. He ran into Butler and was forced to give the ball up to Khris Middleton, who tried to make a move to the paint but was cutoff. Middleton flipped a pass to Grayson Allen, who just checked into the game and looked ice cold. Allen panicked as he passed up a 3-point shot and drove to the basket as time expired. The Bucks were able to get a shot up on the most important possession of the season.

Milwaukee had a timeout remaining but Budenholzer chose to pocket it yet again. He just watched his team implode. These are mistakes you make at the grade school level, high school level, AAU level. But not in the NBA. Budenholzer has been in the NBA since 1996. He worked as assistant for Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs, he was head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, and now the Bucks. He has been named NBA coach of the year twice. There are no excuses for his coaching blunders in the 2023 playoffs.

At the end of the day, if a game is a blowout it’s on the players. If a game is close, it’s on the head coach. Budenholzer failed his team and the Bucks must take a hard look if Coach Bud is the right guy for the job.

“Mike Budenholzer’s status as Bucks head coach is very much shaky, there are questions across the organization,” NBA insider Shams Charania reported. Budenholzer has two years and $16 million left on his contract.

Few coaches can match Budenholzer’s 69.3% regular-season winning percentage (271-120) over the last five seasons. The Bucks had the best record in the NBA in three of them. But in each of those seasons they didn’t reach the NBA Finals, and three times they exited before the conference finals.

“There’s some losses for which there’s just no going back,” said ESPN insider Zach Lowe on his podcast. “You cannot [bring] back the same team.”

Lowe said league insiders are extremely skeptical that Budenholzer can return as head coach of the Bucks after this collapse.

The NBA’s 75th season was truly a special one, not just from a historical sense but also for what transpired during the course of the season.

Basketball’s greatest players were honored throughout the season, culminating in a giant celebration on Feb. 20, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio, when the greats of the game gathered for All-Star weekend and participated in a once-in-a-lifetime ceremony.

Steph Curry was one of four active players who played in the NBA All-Star Game and took part in the halftime festivities honoring members of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. The All-Star game came down to the final possession. Team LeBron defeated Team Durant, 163-160, LeBron James had an outstanding game, scoring 30 points including hitting the game-winning shot. But the Kobe Bryant trophy was awarded to Curry as the MVP of the All-Star Game. He had an otherworldly game. The Warriors’ superstar dropped a game-high 50 points and obliterated the ASG record for most 3-pointers made with 16. Curry was 16-for-27 from behind the 3-point line. He put on an absolute show in a building full of stars.

Curry became the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made two months earlier. On Dec. 14, 2021, Curry swished his 2,974th 3-pointer, surpassing Ray Allen’s all-time mark. Curry now sits alone at the top as the only player in NBA history with more than 3,000 3-pointers made (3,117), and he did in 826 games.

Safe to say, Curry enjoyed one helluva season. He became the all-time leader in 3-point shots. He was ASG MVP. He won his fourth NBA championship and his first NBA Finals MVP. And he hosted the 2022 ESPYs.

***

Each year OneManFastBreak.net ranks the five best players in the NBA. The OMFB Furious Five pays homage to the five styles of Chinese martial arts: snake, crane, monkey, praying mantis, and tiger.

The ranking system is based on one man’s opinion and does not follow or conform to any standard format, with more emphasis placed on how each player and their respective teams performed in the postseason. Stars are born during the regular season, but legends are made in the playoffs.

In 2021, OMFB Furious Five featured Nikola Jokic (5), LeBron James (4), Luka Doncic (3), Kevin Durant (2), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (1).

This year, there’s a major shakeup at the top of the OMFB rankings. Without further ado, here are the five best basketball players in the world.

5. JAYSON TATUM
Boston Celtics, Forward

Sometimes you have to go through the bullies on the block in order to get home. That is what Jayson Tatum did in the 2022 NBA playoffs.

He took on the challenge in the first round against Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets and thoroughly outplayed Durant, sending the Nets star packing after an impressive four-game sweep. Tatum then took on the biggest bully on the block in reigning Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. After the Celtics lost a tough Game 5 at home and went down 3-2 to Giannis and the Bucks, Tatum said he was “excited” for Game 6 challenge on the road in Milwaukee. “I believe in the work that we put in, I believe in the work that I put in,” said Tatum, who had a memorable Game 6 performance in Milwaukee, exploding for 46 points on 17-of-32 shooting. He scored 11 points in a three-minute stretch in the fourth that thwarted a Bucks rally and pushed the Celtics to a 108-95 win.

Tatum tied Paul Pierce for the second most points in franchise history when facing elimination. Sam Jones’ 47-point game remains a Celtics record. Tatum’s teammate Jaylen Brown called the performance a signature moment in Celtics playoff lore. Boston went on to beat Milwaukee in Game 7 at home to advance to the conference finals for the third time in five seasons. Celtics forward Antoine Walker spoke highly of Tatum his Game 6 performance against the Bucks. “That was the best game of his career,” former Celtics forward Antoine Walker said about Boston’s newest superstar.

In an elimination game on the road, Tatum took it upon himself to be the star and put the team on his back. Tatum, 24, has established himself as one of the best players in the world.

4. NIKOLA JOKIC
Denver Nuggets, Center

When Nikola Jokic walks into a gym, he likely won’t get your full attention. His 6-11, 280-pound frame is the most impressive physical feature he displays. He won’t run past you or outjump you. He could easily be mistaken for one of the players in a YMCA Sunday league. But once the two-time NBA MVP steps on the court and displays his basketball skills, it’s pure magic (or pure Magic).

Jokic may be listed as a center but he might as well be a point guard the way he manipulates defenses. The Serbian big man can fill up a box score, averaging nearly a triple-double (20-10-7) during the 2019 and 2020 regular seasons. In the 2020 playoffs inside the Disney World bubble, Jokic averaged 24 points and 9.8 points while shooting 51 percent from the field. Jokic’s Nuggets advanced to the 2020 Western Conference finals where they were eliminated in five games by the eventual world champion L.A. Lakers.

Jokic raised his game to a whole new level in 2020-21 and 2021-22, becoming the first center since Tim Duncan to win league MVP. He has carried a hobbled Nuggets squad on his back the past two seasons while standout point guard Jamal Murray rehabs from an ACL injury. Jokic, who inked a historic $264-million contract extension to stay in Denver through 2028, won his second league MVP following a superb statistical season in 2021-22 (27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists). He’s the first NBA player to eclipse 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season.

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers called Jokic the best passing big man ever. “He has a little bit of everybody,” Rivers said. “He has all the footwork and the moves of an [Hakeem] Olajuwon, the lanky and goofy, like goofy intelligence of Kevin McHale. Shoot, man, he’s just good. He’s the best passing big that I’ve seen, I think, ever. I know [Bill] Walton was one of [the best passing centers ever].” When names like Olajuwon, McHale and Walton are thrown around as a comparison, it puts Jokic in elite company.

3. LUKA DONCIC
Dallas Mavericks, Guard-Forward

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is a star on ABC’s “Shark Tank.” He knows a good business product when he see’s one. Cuban sees a very good investment in Luka Doncic.

Cuban made sure Luka will be a Maverick for a long time, signing the Slovenian sensation to a five-year, $207 million extension during the 2021 offseason. “My goal is to win a championship,” said the 23-year-old Doncic, who has already won NBA Rookie of the Year and named to the All-NBA team multiple times. In his fourth NBA season, Doncic averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.7 assists. He was even better during the playoffs, averaging 29-10-5 against Utah in the first round and 32-9-7 against Phoenix in the conference semifinals. In the conference finals against eventual champion Golden State, Doncic averaged 32.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists.

“He is one of the toughest players that I have ever seen in this league, and that goes back 35, 36 years,” former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said of Doncic. “[Luka] is a great young player that is getting better each year. He has an irrepressible enthusiasm for the game, for his teammates, for winning. We’re so fortunate to have him. Now we have to get our roster healthy and get the right players around him.”

Jason Kidd is surely fortunate to have Doncic. With Luka leading the way, the Mavericks reached the conference finals in Kidd’s first year as Mavericks head coach. The signature moment came in the second round when Doncic took an undersized and undermanned Mavs squad into Phoenix and upset the top-seeded Suns in Game 7. It was Doncic’s finest moment in his young pro career. Doncic set the tone early by hitting his first three shots, including two 3-pointers. He snatched the Suns’ hearts by scoring 27 of his game-high 35 points in the first and leading Dallas to a huge 57-27 lead at halftime. The Mavs stunned the Suns with a 123-90 Game 7 blowout victory on the road.

“I think when you talk about Luka’s gift, he’s a special player,” Kidd said. “And for me, as a coach, it’s just to guide him. Be an extra set of eyes and ears to make the game as simple and as easy for him on the court. To give him the answers to the test so that he can do what he does at a very high level.”

So far, Luka is acing the test.

2. GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO
Milwaukee Bucks, Forward

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a special breed. First of all, he is built like a Greek god. His freakishly physical stature (6-11, 242 pounds) allows him to do things on the basketball court mere mortals could only dream about. His combination of size, speed, and power makes him nearly impossible to stop.

Now, combine those traits with an incredible determination to do whatever it takes to win, it puts Antetokounmpo in rarified air. Giannis put himself in the conversation among the all-time greats after his MVP performance in the 2021 NBA Finals as he averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in the series against the Phoenix Suns, while shooting 61.8% from the field. He made the signature moment in the series when he blocked Deandre Ayton’s dunk attempt with 1:14 left in the fourth quarter of Game 4 that ignited a late Bucks surge that allowed them to tie up the series at 2 apiece after being down in an 0-2 hole. Then, Giannis put a bow on his historic Finals performance with a 50-point game in the series clincher that gave Giannis his first NBA title and ended Milwaukee’s five-decade championship drought.

All the skills Giannis tirelessly cultivated through the first 10 years of his professional basketball career in Europe and in the NBA paid off in the 2021 Finals as he produced one of the greatest performances in postseason history. “I had to do a little bit of everything. I had to defend, I had to rebound, I had to block. The performance illustrated Giannis’ greatness as a basketball player, but he’s well aware he’s far from being a finished product. Sounds ridiculous to even suggest that a multiple MVP winner still has room for improvement. But that is the case with the Greek Freak, who is only scratching the surface of his prodigious talent. He credits Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer for motivating him to be the best. “Coach Bud believed in me. [He] told me in order for me to win, to be great, I have to trust my teammates,” Giannis said. “I have to make the right pass. I cannot be stubborn. I gotta trust the process. It was a three-year process, but we got it done.”

Giannis told NBA TV: “I always think that I can improve,” Giannis said. “That’s the one thing I have been doing, and I’m gonna keep doing it. There are going to be times that I’m not going to improve anymore. But as long as I keep working hard, keep believing in myself, I think I will keep getting better. I can tell you right off the top of my head five things I could do better,” he added. “I could shoot more threes, catch and shoot threes so I can help my teammates space the floor better. I could be able to play-make more. I could improve my handles. Make my handles more tight. There’s a lot of things I can improve.”

To hear an MVP talk about all the things he needs to improve on is very refreshing. Giannis strikes a good balance of high level of confidence and humility. He understands the standards have been reset for him because of what he’s accomplished so far in his young basketball career. It was unfortunate Bucks forward Khris Middleton got hurt and wasn’t available in the 2022 conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. Giannis was fantastic in the seven-game series, but in the end he couldn’t knock off the Celtics by himself. He needed his wing man. A healthy Bucks squad combined with a motivated Giannis should make the Bucks a title threat. Giannis is all about the work. Now that he’s tasted winning, he wants more and he’ll do whatever it takes to stay on top. “I’ll keep going. I can’t stop,” he said. “That’s my personality. I’m not stopping.”

And now, the No. 1 player in the world. Drum roll please . . .

1. STEPHEN CURRY
Golden State Warriors, Guard

Steph Curry admits he is the NBA’s “petty king.” He sees and hears and remembers all the disses, the slights, and the snubs. It doesn’t matter if they are done in jest. If Curry thinks he or any member of his inner circle gets disrespected, he will clap back.

When a Boston bar trolled Curry’s wife, Ayesha, by posting a sign saying “Ayesha Curry Can’t Cook” the NBA’s greatest 3-point shooter fired right back by wearing a T-shirt to a postgame press conference that read “Ayesha Curry CAN Cook.”

When ESPN talking heads like Domonique Foxworth and Kendrick Perkins both predicted that Curry will win “zero” championships after signing his $215 contract extension with the Warriors, Steph put it in his memory bank and saved the retort for the right occasion. After Curry and the Warriors clinched their fourth NBA title in eight seasons, Curry called out Foxworth and Perkins during a postgame session with the media.

“I clearly remember some experts and talking heads putting up the big zero on how many championships we’d have going forward because of everything we went through,” Curry said. “We hear all that, we carry all that and try to maintain a purpose, not let it distract you. But you carry that weight.”

Curry has had the weight of the world on his shoulders the past two seasons after Kevin Durant left for Brooklyn and Klay Thompson sidelined for 941 days after suffering two devastating injuries (Achilles and ACL tears). But Curry perservered and kept on pushing forward despite not having his Splash Brother by his side. He and Draymond Green were tasked with mentoring the younger players on the Warriors roster, accelerating their growth so the franchise could get back to hunting for titles.

When Klay returned to the lineup in January, the Warriors became whole again. Even though Klay, Steph and Draymond barely played together for the rest of the 2022 regular season, they knew it wouldn’t take long to get their groove back. Once they all got on the court, it was like riding a bike.

The Warriors advanced to the 2022 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. After the Celtics took a 2-1 lead in the series, Curry put the Warriors on his back and carried them to a title. Curry was absolutely brilliant in The Finals, averaging 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the series. He shot 43% from 3-point range and averaged 5.2 threes per game. He did all this while mainly being guarded by the reigning NBA defensive player of the year in Marcus Smart.

Curry was absolutely brilliant in The Finals, and his signature moment came in Game 4 when the Warriors went on the road in Boston needing a win to tie the series. Curry dropped 43 points, including seven 3-pointers, to lead the Warriors to a 107-97 win and snatched the heart out of the Celtics. The Warriors would never lose again in the series. Curry put a cap on his Finals performance with 34 points in the series-clinching 103-90 win in Game 6.

Curry was named the unanimous Finals MVP, the first of his career. It should have been his second Finals MVP, but for some strange reason the media inexplicably voted for Andre Iguodala in the 2015 NBA Finals. Iguodala had a nice series, but Steph was the real MVP in the 2015 Finals.

Curry didn’t need to win Finals MVP to validate his career. His legacy is secure. But having the Bill Russell trophy in his hands is the ultimate clapback to all his haters. Night, night folks!

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.