He’s Carrying His Team To The NBA Finals 2025, But The NBA Says He’s Not An MVP

Who should be the NBA MVP 2025? Jalen Brunson just delivered the season of his life—and then some. The Knicks star averaged 26 points and 7 assists per game , led New York to a 51-31 regular season record , and was crowned the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year . More importantly, he was the driving force behind the Knicks reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in over two decades —a feat that reignited Madison Square Garden and brought real hope to a franchise that’s spent years in the wilderness. And yet, he’s not an MVP finalist . The NBA recently announced its three finalists for the 2024-25 MVP award: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) , Nikola Jokić (Denver) , and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee) . All three names make sense—SGA led the league in scoring and took the Thunder to the best record in the NBA , Jokić continues to be a walking triple-double , and Giannis is still an absolute force, averaging over 30 points per game on 60% shooting . But Knicks fans have every right to raise an eyebrow. Because if the most valuable player doesn’t help his team win in the postseason, what are we really measuring? And if Brunson leads the Knicks to the Finals—or wins it all—how can he not be part of that MVP conversation ? 2025 NBA MVP: Do Playoffs Count? -------------------------------- Here’s the thing: the MVP is a regular-season award . Always has been. Voters submit their ballots before the playoffs even begin, which means anything that happens in April, May, or June doesn’t count. But maybe it should. Think about it—if Brunson guides New York past the Pacers or even to a championship, his performance will define this NBA season far more than any regular-season stat line. If the Knicks end up hoisting the trophy and Brunson isn’t even a finalist for MVP, what does that say about how we define “value”? It’s not a knock on SGA, Jokić, or Giannis. They’re all elite talents. But Brunson is doing something rare: making New York believe again . That, in itself, might be the most valuable thing happening in the league right now. As the postseason heats up, one thing’s clear—MVP or not, Jalen Brunson is playing like one . Source: https://secretnyc.co/nba-finals-2025-not-mvp/