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 2s are highlighted by Michael Jordan's famous spectacular move, a pair of 20-20 games in matchups between the historic rival Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers (one of them also a triple-double) and some rare made fouls shots by Shaquille O'Neal.
Point guard: Magic Johnson | 1987 Lakers vs. Celtics
Stats: 22 points, 20 assists, 3 steals
Magic put together one of the most complete offensive performances in Finals history during an easy win over the defending champions that required him to play just 31 minutes. Johnson's 20 assists were one shy of his own Finals record, set vs. Boston in 1984, and this remains the only 20-20 game involving assists in Finals history.
That kind of playmaking set the tone as the Lakers handed out 44 assists as a team, tying a Finals record the franchise had set in 1970, and shot 61.5% from the field (a record at the time, now third-best in a Finals game). The Lakers led 75-56 at the break and were never threatened in the second half.
Shooting guard: Michael Jordan | 1991 Bulls vs. Lakers
Stats: 33 points, 15-of-18 shooting, 13 assists, 7 rebounds
In the Bulls' first of six trips to the NBA Finals in the 1990s, they started shaky, losing Game 1 when Sam Perkins hit a late 3-pointer and Jordan missed a late jumper that could have given Chicago the lead. Jordan responded in Game 2 with one of the most accurate shooting performances in Finals history.
Jordan had just two points in the first 20 minutes, but made 13 consecutive shot attempts at one point en route to his best shooting percentage in any playoff game. His 13 assists were one shy of his career playoff high.
Still, Jordan's Game 2 will always be remembered for one move in particular: him switching in midair from a dunk attempt with his favored right hand to a left-handed layup to avoid Perkins' defense. NBC broadcaster Marv Albert immortalized the play as "a spectacular move by Jordan."
The Bulls collectively shot 61.7%, breaking the Lakers' record and now second all time.
Small forward: Kevin Durant | 2017 Warriors vs. Cavaliers
Stats: 33 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks
Durant shined at both ends of the court in his first NBA Finals with Golden State. After scoring 38 points in Game 1 and coming within a rebound and two assists of a triple-double, Durant followed that up with 33 points on 13-of-22 shooting, knocking down four 3-pointers.
Durant's shot-blocking was more unexpected. His five blocks tied his most in a playoff game, adding 13 rebounds and three steals. Stephen Curry also had his first career playoff triple-double (32 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) as Golden State cruised past Cleveland despite a LeBron James triple-double (29 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds).
The Warriors went up 2-0 in the series in Steve Kerr's return to the sidelines after an extended absence due to back pain.
Power forward: Charles Barkley | 1993 Suns vs. Bulls
Stats: 42 points, 13 rebounds
Oddly, the two highest game scores on record for Finals Game 2s both came by power forwards in losing efforts at what is now Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Barkley, who topped 40 points for the third time in a five-game span dating back to a Western Conference finals win over the Seattle SuperSonics, shot 16-of-26 from the field and had six offensive boards.
Alas, Jordan was on the other side and matched Barkley point for point, finishing with 42, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Chicago took a 2-0 series lead on the road after Scottie Pippen blocked a would-be game-tying Danny Ainge 3-point attempt in the final 30 seconds. Twenty-eight years later, the Suns got a home win to go up 2-0 despite the best efforts of Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Center: Bill Russell | 1965 Celtics vs. Lakers
Stats: 23 points, 25 rebounds, 10 assists
After winning Game 1 in a blowout over the Elgin Baylor-less Lakers, Boston needed a big performance from Russell to overcome 45 points from Jerry West in Game 2. Russell played 48 minutes and delivered one of his best all-around games, making 10 of his 11 shot attempts and handing out 10 assists to complement his usual dominant defense.
It was Russell's second career triple-double in the Finals and still stands as the only 20-20-10 game in Finals history.
Sixth man: Shaquille O'Neal | 2002 Lakers vs. Nets
Anthony Davis put up 30+ points through the first 3 quarters in both Game 1 and Game 2. The last @Lakers player to do this in back-to-back NBA Finals games was Shaquille O'Neal in 2002. #NBAVault pic.twitter.com/Z2R94gMc1F
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) October 3, 2020
Stats: 40 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 12-of-14 FTs
O'Neal reaching 40 points for the fifth time in the Finals in a three-year span (still fourth-most in NBA history for a career) wasn't surprising. That he did it by shooting 86% from the foul line (his best mark in a playoff game with double-digit attempts) a game after being hit with Hack-a-Shaq intentional fouls was shocking.
"The big thing is that he missed two free throws tonight," said New Jersey guard Jason Kidd. "I mean, 12 for 14? He's showing that he can do it all now."
Doing it all included O'Neal's typical interior play. He shot 14-of-23 from the field and had 12 boards along with eight assists, one shy of his high in a Finals game.
"Too much Shaquille O'Neal," said Nets coach Byron Scott. "He's a monster. That's all I can say about him."