3 Times an unexpected name stole NBA Finals MVP

Basketball, more so than any other sport, allows teams to rely on their stars to carry them deep into the postseason. Nearly every recent NBA championship team has had a superstar to pick up the vast majority of the load. At the same time, surrounding players do everything in their power to supplement the star's play. However, there are a handful of instances in which those supplementary players outshine their counterparts on the NBA's biggest stage. 

The 1980-81 Celtics were a powerhouse. Three players on the roster, forward Larry Bird, center Robert Parish, and guard Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald, all received MVP votes, with Bird finishing as a runner-up in that race. As the Boston Celtics swept the Chicago Bulls in the opening round and struggled past the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference finals, nearly everybody expected those three players to lead the Celtics' effort to capture an NBA title against the Houston Rockets. 

Cedric Maxwell started the series slowly, scoring a combined 16 points throughout the first two games. Things finally turned around in Game 3, when Maxwell put up 19 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks, leading the Celtics in scoring on the way to a dominant win.

Maxwell led the Celtics in scoring in two of the next three games, including a 28-point performance in Game 5 that led to another blowout win for Boston. Over the series, Maxwell averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, numbers that earned him the Finals MVP award and a championship ring.

While the 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs were not as top-heavy as the Boston Celtics team Maxwell played on, the roster still featured an astounding amount of talent. Led by forward Tim Duncan and guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili, San Antonio had two players receive MVP votes, and another three received consideration for the Sixth Man of the Year award. While 22-year-old forward Kawhi Leonard did not warrant consideration for either accolade at that stage of his career, he remained a massively important part of the Spurs lineup, especially as they prepared for an NBA Finals matchup with LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Much of the work that earned Leonard his NBA Finals MVP award did not show up in the box score. He was consistently matched up with James and did an extraordinary job on defense, as good as any defender could do against the preeminent player of his generation. In addition to his fantastic defensive efforts, Leonard averaged 17.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

The Spurs won the title in five games, with Leonard playing a key role on both ends of the basketball floor, both mentally and physically, helping the Spurs feel confident in their defense against the best player in the league. Leonard would go on to put together a Hall of Fame-caliber career, including a second championship and Finals MVP win for the Raptors. But for the 2014 Spurs, he was a young up-and-comer who outshined his more established star teammates on the biggest stage.

As the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors cruised through the Western Conference playoffs, it seemed inevitable that they would win the championship, and that MVP guard Stephen Curry would be the reason they did so. Surrounding Curry was an excellent supporting cast, headed by guard and fellow "Splash Brother" Klay Thompson, as well as do-it-all forward Draymond Green, the defensive anchor of the team. As a date with James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals approached, nearly everybody thought that the series would feature Curry as the most important player on the team.

Veteran swingman Andre Iguodala, however, had something to say about that idea. Perhaps inspired by Leonard's performance in the previous NBA Finals, head coach Steve Kerr tasked Iguodala with defending James, making his primary purpose limiting the scoring that James would inevitably produce. Iguodala answered the bell in fantastic fashion. He helped hold Cleveland's best player to a 39.8% field goal percentage over six games. The veteran also averaged 16.3 points per game, providing the Golden State Warriors with a reliable offensive presence in addition to handling James. 

Illustrating Iguodala's importance was his massive jump in playing time. Throughout the regular season, he played only 26.7 minutes per game, but that leapt to 37.0 in the Finals to try to match James's 45.5 minutes per contest. Naturally, Iguodala's efforts landed him a well-deserved Finals MVP trophy.

While the NBA is a league dominated by stars, it has become nearly impossible for a single good player to carry his team to the NBA Finals like James once did. Without contributions from lesser-known players like the ones listed above, capturing an ever-elusive NBA Championship is getting more difficult to accomplish. As the league continues to trend away from its superstar-led NBA teams, will performances on the hardwood echo those of Maxwell, Leonard, and Iguodala as the years march on?