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

Doncic is the NBA's reigning scoring champion and a perennial MVP candidate. All that's missing is postseason success, beyond his run to the conference finals in 2022. Since then, Dallas has made aggressive moves to revamp the roster, bringing in Kyrie Irving and greatly improving the defense.

There's no doubting Doncic's basketball gifts. But he's in danger of ending up like James Harden, a highly efficient triple-double machine whose game doesn't quite work in the playoffs. Of course, he's never had a player as good as Irving with him in the playoffs either.

6. Kyrie Irving

It's not like any playoff performance would make fans forget Irving's anti-vax stance. Or the antisemitic video he shared, or his many trade demands or his disbelief in the Earth's roundness...the list goes on. But Irving has thrived in Dallas, with zero controversy and plenty of leaving his teammates "starstruck." A big playoff run would remind the world that, on the court, Irving is one of a kind in a good way.

7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Gilgeous-Alexander is an MVP candidate for the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history. The Oklahoma City Thunder didn't even make the playoffs last season, losing in the play-in tournament, so this is their first chance to show off on the big stage. The same goes for SGA. He's been fantastic, finishing third in the league in scoring and tying with De'Aaron Fox for most steals.

Even after 51 games of 30 or more points this season, SGA won't truly join the superstar ranks until he starts putting up those numbers in the playoffs. But despite their youth, there's no reason SGA and the Thunder can't make a run to the conference finals, or even further.

8. Jalen Brunson

It can be tough for an undersized guard to be effective in the playoffs, when referees tend to swallow their whistles and contact increases. Brunson defied that last season, averaging 27.8 points in 11 playoff games. Now the Knicks have the No. 2 seed and Brunson is eligible for a contract extension. A huge performance in April could lead to immediate financial rewards.

Although a source suggests Brunson might take a discount to stay with the Knicks long-term. Still, we think he'd prefer the option of getting paid big.

9. Joel Embiid

The reigning MVP is still coming back from a meniscus injury, but he and the 76ers have championship aspirations. With all his success, Embiid still hasn't made it out of the second round of the playoffs, losing there five times. Expectations are lower this season since Embiid is banged up, but he needs a strong playoff performance. The Sixers want to leverage their huge cap space this summer to attract free agents. They're not going to be impressed by another early exit.

10. Nikola Jokic

We could have given LeBron James this final spot, but we're pretty sure his legacy is bulletproof regardless of what happens in the playoffs. Instead, we'll go with Nikola Jokic, who got a monkey off his back with his dominant run to a title last season. Now he has a chance to become a repeat champion and join a list of only eight players with three MVP trophies (should he win again this year) and two NBA titles.

He's also highly motivated to get his playoff series over quickly, to give him more time for his true favorite pursuit: Harness racing.