Top players with the most riding on the NBA playoffs

The longtime Portland Trail Blazers star requested a trade last summer so he could compete for a championship. Now he has his chance, playing alongside two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, but now he has to get past another All-Star guard who makes clutch shots and plays questionable defense in Tyrese Haliburton.

Lillard has made some very big shots in the playoffs before, but his overall playoff record is 22-39, and he’s only a 41.2 percent shooter in the playoffs for his career. His scoring and shooting numbers dropped this year in Milwaukee, and the Bucks went 3-8 down the stretch to fall to third place. After forcing his way out of Portland, it had better be Dame Time during this year’s playoffs.

2. Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown

The two Jays were each picked No. 3 in consecutive drafts and have enjoyed tremendous success since then. Brown made the conference finals as a rookie, and the Tatum-Brown combo has made four conference finals and one NBA Finals in their six postseasons together. But they’ve never won it all, falling short in part due to bad turnovers or rough shooting performances.

Tatum is 26 and Brown is 27, so the duo still has plenty of time. But after Brown signed the biggest contract in NBA history last summer, and Tatum is due to sign an even bigger one this summer, Boston might balk at paying $600 million combined to two players who can’t get over the hump. The standings gave Boston a favorable path to the Finals, and adding Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis gave the C’s a killer five-man unit. The Jays may never have a better chance to win a title than this season.

3. Kevin Durant

Phoenix’s All-Star forward took a lot of heat when he joined the Golden State Warriors in 2016, but he backed it up with two titles and two Finals MVP awards. There was less backlash when Durant forced his way to Phoenix in 2023, but this postseason is still a referendum on the wisdom of the Suns mortgaging their future to pair KD with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Still, no one will think about any lost draft picks if the Suns make the Finals.

Coming off his healthiest season in five years, Durant played 75 games, while Beal and Booker are also healthy. Considering the impending challenges and increasing luxury taxes the Suns face, this might be KD’s best remaining chance at a third ring.

4. Paul George

Kawhi Leonard got a massive contract extension that will take him through the Clippers’ first three seasons at their new arena, the Intuit Dome. His friend and teammate Paul George is still unsigned heading into free agency, and the team’s postseason success could strongly affect his future.

Leonard and George were supposed to make the Clippers instant contenders, but they’ve won only three playoff series in four seasons. However, Leonard isn’t the one who nicknamed himself “Playoff P,” which has opened George up for a lot of jokes. If Playoff P gets it done this time, you can also call him “Gigantic Extension G.”

5. Luka Doncic