Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell, Golden State's Stephen Curry and Boston's Jayson Tatum have been the driving forces for their teams throughout the season.
It is no surprise that all three are in the spotlight going into their respective Game 2s of the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday night.
Mitchell scored 30 points in the top-seeded Cavaliers 121-100 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday night. It was the 26th time in 55 playoff games that the all-star guard has had at least 30 points. Mitchell's 28.1 points per game in the playoffs is seventh all-time among players with at least 50 postseason games and he is averaging 34.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in Cleveland's last seven playoff contests.
Mitchell knows he is viewed as a scorer, but he is hoping his defense and forcing steals begin to stand out more against the Heat.
''Obviously, the 30 is cool. I mean that's what I'm known for but I think for me it's just steals, being in the passing lanes, getting on the boards, boxing out, diving on loose balls, different things like that. That's really what's going to continue to take us to that next level,'' he said.
Curry needs three points to become the 11th player in league history to reach 4,000 points in the playoffs. The superstar guard led Golden State with 31 points in Sunday night's 95-85 win at the Houston Rockets that included two off-balance 3-pointers in the second half.
The seventh-seeded Warriors — who are used to the rigors of postseason play — look to go up two games on a Rockets squad in the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
''I think the only real advantage is you don't get rattled if there's runs. The composure matters because then you can make plays down the stretch,'' said Curry, who needs 49 points to surpass Tony Parker for 10th on the career playoff scoring list.
