The Western Conference semifinals series currently underway between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder pits the likely 2025 NBA MVP against the player expected to finish second in the voting: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
Gilgeous-Alexander had an outstanding regular season, averaging 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds, contributing significantly to Oklahoma City securing the league`s best record at 68-14.
Jokic, already a three-time MVP winner, posted some of his best statistical numbers this season. He achieved career highs with 29.6 points and 10.2 assists per game. Additionally, he averaged 12.7 rebounds, which was the second-highest average of his career.
This matchup marks the eighth time since 1990 that the top two players from the MVP ballot have competed against each other in a playoff series. Five of these previous occurrences took place in the NBA Finals, with Michael Jordan being involved in four of them. Historically, the team featuring the MVP winner has emerged victorious in five out of these seven series.
Here is a look back at each NBA playoff series since 1990 that featured the players who finished first and second in the MVP voting.
Russell Westbrook vs. James Harden, 2017
MVP: Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Runner-up: Harden, Houston Rockets
Series results: Rockets win 4-1
Westbrook, the last Thunder player before Gilgeous-Alexander to win the MVP award, earned it by averaging a triple-double during the regular season. Harden also had a stellar year, recording 29.1 points, 11.2 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game.
The former teammates met in the first round of the playoffs that year, with the third-seeded Rockets winning the series in five games.
Westbrook put up remarkable playoff numbers, averaging 37.4 points alongside 11.6 rebounds and 10.8 assists. Harden was not far behind, averaging 33.2 points per game himself. This series became one of only two instances since 1990 where the MVP runner-up defeated the MVP winner in a playoff series.
Stephen Curry vs. James Harden, 2015
MVP: Curry, Golden State Warriors
Runner-up: Harden, Rockets
Series results: Warriors win 4-1
Stephen Curry not only won the MVP award over James Harden but also led his team against Harden`s in the Western Conference Finals to reach the 2015 NBA Finals, as the top two seeds in the West squared off.
In winning his first MVP award, Curry averaged 23.8 points and 7.7 assists during the regular season and made a league-leading 286 three-pointers. Harden had a breakout season, scoring a then-career-high 27.4 points per game.
The 67-win Warriors quickly took a 3-0 lead in the series against the Rockets, eventually winning it in five games. Both Curry and Harden delivered impressive scoring performances, with Curry scoring 40 points in Game 3 and Harden scoring 45 points in Game 4.
LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant, 2012
MVP: James, Miami Heat
Runner-up: Durant, Thunder
Series results: Heat win 4-1
LeBron James earned his third MVP award in four seasons with characteristic dominance, averaging 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. Kevin Durant also had a strong season with 28.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, but he received significantly fewer first-place MVP votes (24) compared to James (85).
Meeting in the 2012 NBA Finals, the two superstars engaged in a competitive series. After the Thunder won Game 1, both Durant and James scored 32 points in Game 2, which the Heat won. Durant averaged just over 30 points across the series, while James averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists.
This remains the most recent occasion that an MVP winner and runner-up have faced each other in the NBA Finals.
Michael Jordan vs. Karl Malone, 1998
MVP: Jordan, Chicago Bulls
Runner-up: Malone, Utah Jazz
Series results: Bulls win 4-2
Considered one of the most iconic series in NBA history, Michael Jordan`s fifth MVP campaign propelled him towards his sixth championship. He averaged 28.7 points per game in the regular season, his lowest in a full season since his rookie year. Karl Malone averaged 27.0 points and 10.3 rebounds.
Jordan won the MVP comfortably, receiving 1,084 total votes compared to Malone`s 842. He demonstrated why he was the winner in the Finals against Malone and the Jazz, scoring at least 30 points in four out of six games. Malone performed well too, with averages of 25.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
In the decisive Game 6, Jordan scored 45 points and hit the go-ahead shot, capping off Chicago`s second three-peat of the decade.
Karl Malone vs. Michael Jordan, 1997
MVP: Malone, Jazz
Runner-up: Jordan, Bulls
Series results: Bulls win 4-2
Karl Malone claimed his first MVP award in one of the closest races in league history. The Jazz star received 63 first-place votes and 986 total points, slightly ahead of Jordan`s 52 first-place votes and 957 total points.
Despite Malone winning the MVP hardware, it was Jordan who lifted the more significant trophy that season – the Larry O`Brien Championship Trophy. In the Finals, Jordan averaged 32.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists, while Malone averaged 23.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
Michael Jordan vs. Clyde Drexler, 1992
MVP: Jordan, Bulls
Runner-up: Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers
Series results: Bulls win 4-2
Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler were often compared leading up to the 1992 NBA Finals, a narrative amplified by the MVP race. Jordan decisively won the MVP voting, earning 900 total votes to Drexler`s 561. The Finals series followed a similar pattern.
In Game 1 of the Finals, Jordan had an explosive first half, scoring 35 points which included hitting his sixth three-pointer in the second quarter, famously prompting his `shrug`. Jordan dominated the series against the Trail Blazers, averaging 35.8 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds. Drexler averaged 24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists.
Michael Jordan vs. Magic Johnson, 1991
MVP: Jordan, Bulls
Runner-up: Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
Series results: Bulls win 4-1
Michael Jordan`s second of five MVP awards coincided with his first NBA championship. His dominant regular season included averaging 31.5 points per game, and he received 891 out of a possible 960 first-place votes. Lakers superstar Magic Johnson averaged 19.4 points and 12.5 assists.
Facing one of the biggest names in the NBA on the league`s grandest stage, Jordan elevated his performance to secure his first title. He averaged 31.2 points and 11.4 assists per game as the Bulls defeated the Lakers in five games.
