Players from the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors will try to add their names to the list of great performances in NBA Finals history.
And as the NBA concludes its 75th anniversary season, it's an ideal time to look back on the best individual efforts we've ever seen in the league's championship round.
We'll be doing so on a game-by-game basis throughout the 2022 Finals, choosing a six-player team -- all five positions plus a sixth man -- from each game during the series (Game 1s, Game 2s and so on).
There's no specific formula for what constitutes Finals greatness, though we will lean heavily on the game score metric developed by John Hollinger for games where it's available from Basketball-Reference.com since player turnovers were first tracked in the 1977-78 season.
The all-time great Game 1s are highlighted by a performance that invented the shrug emoji years before smartphones became a thing, a famous step-over move in a historic upset and a record-setting game that resulted in a punched whiteboard and an injury.
Let's take a look back.
Point guard: Jerry West | 1969 Lakers vs. Celtics
Stats: 53 points, 10 assists, 21-for-41 shooting
West became the first (and to date only) player to win Finals MVP from the losing team, and it started with his performance in an opener that was won by the host Lakers at the Forum. In a 120-118 thriller, West dominated offensively against a Celtics defense that stayed home to try to contain teammates Elgin Baylor (24 points) and Wilt Chamberlain (15 points, 23 rebounds).
West tallied the most points ever in a Finals Game 1 with 46 minutes of efficient scoring, 11 free throws in 13 attempts and a game-high 10 assists.
"I've never seen West play better," the Celtics' John Havlicek said after the contest.
Shooting guard: Michael Jordan | 1992 Bulls vs. Trail Blazers
Stats: 39 points, 34 minutes, 11 assists, 6 for 10 3-pointers
It's remembered as the game in which Jordan shrugged.
Chicago's pursuit of a repeat title went through the Blazers and Clyde Drexler, who was the league's best guard in the non-Jordan division. (The two players would team up in the backcourt for the All-NBA first team as well as later that summer for the "Dream Team" at the Barcelona Olympics.)
Jordan was tired of the comparisons with Drexler entering the Finals (and admitted as much in ESPN's "The Last Dance.") Whatever the motivation, Jordan quieted the comparisons in an atypical way -- with 3-point shooting. Jordan scored 35 points and made six 3s in the first half, the latter mark tying his most ever in a playoff game.
After making his final 3-pointer, Jordan famously looked toward NBC's broadcast table -- including color analyst and the previous year's Finals opponent Magic Johnson -- and shrugged in acknowledgement of the improbability.
Forgotten in the legend, Jordan not only scored 39 points in 34 minutes, he also handed out 11 assists as Chicago crushed Portland 122-89.
Small forward: LeBron James | 2018 Cavaliers vs. Warriors
Stats: 51 points, 19-for-32 shooting, 8 rebounds, 8 assists
The only player from a Game 1 losing team to appear here, James nearly dragged an undermanned Cavaliers team that had lost Kyrie Irving from the team that had faced Golden State the previous three years to a Game 1 upset. LeBron certainly did everything he could in the only 50-point playoff outing of his career, which came on hyperefficient shooting.
Twice in the final minute, James scored to give the Cavaliers a lead. First, a three-point play with 50 seconds remaining, then a layup with 32 seconds left. Both times, the Warriors answered, including a controversial replay ruling that overturned a charge drawn by James to a blocking foul, sending Kevin Durant to the free throw line for the tying foul shots. Golden State then took the lead on a Stephen Curry three-point play with 23 seconds left.
Still, Cleveland had a chance to win when George Hill went to the line with precisely four seconds left. Hill tied the game but then missed his second free throw, and Cavaliers guard JR Smith then dribbled out the clock, not realizing the score was tied. The Warriors pulled away in overtime, and a furious James took out his frustrations on a whiteboard, hurting his hand in the process. The injury was reported by ESPN's Brian Windhorst after Golden State completed a 4-0 sweep that ended James' second stint with the Cavaliers.
Power forward: Tim Duncan | 2003 Spurs vs. Nets
Stats: 32 points, 11-for-17 shooting, 20 rebounds, 7 blocks, 6 assists
Duncan's 2003 Finals performance was one of the most quietly dominant in NBA history -- Hollinger ranked it third all time in 2011 -- and it started with the second-best game score on record for a Game 1 behind James' in 2018.
Duncan dominated Game 1 at both ends. He had 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting on offense -- remarkable in a low-scoring win (the Spurs prevailed 101-89 in a game during which no other player had more than 21 points) -- and handed out a team-high six assists.
Of course, Duncan's defense was the biggest reason the Nets shot just 37% from the field. His seven blocks were the most ever in a Finals Game 1, and Duncan pulled down nearly half of San Antonio's 37 defensive rebounds (17).
Center: Shaquille O'Neal | 2000 Lakers vs. Pacers
Stats: 43 points, 21-for-31 shooting, 19 rebounds
In back-to-back years, O'Neal put up the two highest-scoring Finals Game 1s for a center.
Going against a physical Indiana front line, O'Neal had six offensive rebounds and 19 total. He fouled out Indiana counterpart Rik Smits in just 20 minutes and had 25 more points than anyone else on either team.
O'Neal was then even more prolific the following year, scoring 44 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, despite going 10-of-22 from the foul line. He was slightly more efficient in Game 1 against the Pacers, with 43 points on 21-of-31 shooting from the field and taking just six foul shots (missing five of them, alas).
Sixth man: Allen Iverson | 2001 76ers vs. Lakers
Stats: 48 points, 6 assists, 5 steals
After sweeping their way to the Finals, including a dominant Western Conference finals series against the top-seeded Spurs, the Lakers were overwhelming favorites, looking to make history as the first undefeated champions in NBA postseason history. Iverson had other ideas, going into Los Angeles and delivering an unforgettable performance as the Sixers won in overtime, giving the Lakers their only playoff loss that year.
The performance epitomized Iverson's role as the first, second and third scoring option on a Philadelphia team of defensive-minded role players. No teammate attempted more than 10 shots or scored more than 13 points, as Iverson single-handedly took aim at the Lakers with 48 points on 41 shot attempts, including 30 in the first half and seven in overtime (as many as the Lakers managed as a team).
The effort is best remembered for Iverson draining a step-back jumper over then-Lakers reserve Tyronn Lue in the final minute of OT and stepping over Lue, who had fallen to the ground on his contest.