The difference on the final scoreboard was one point, and the difference on this first installment of the Finals MVP Ladder is one spot, separating the player who made the shot and the one who missed — Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

So, when it came time to announce East Finals MVP, Haliburton understandably thought he was about to take home some individual hardware. The awkward twist for Haliburton was that

The Oklahoma City Thunder bring arguably their best team in franchise history into the NBA Finals, led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a strong group of players alongside him.