NBA Playoffs 2013: Breaking Down Top NBA Finals MVP Candidates

With the NBA Finals now tied 2-2 by virtue of the Miami Heat's impressive Game 4 performance, it has suddenly become a best-of-three series to determine the NBA champion. Several players have performed well to get to this point, but others will have to step up moving forward as well.

This series has been an interesting one as Game 1 was close, but the past three games have ended in blowouts. If nothing else, that has allowed players from both teams to boost their stats and bolster their case for NBA Finals MVP honors. There is no one player who has shown himself to be a clear favorite, but there are plenty of candidates.

The next two or three games will ultimately decide who is named MVP of the NBA Finals, but here are three players who have put themselves in position to win the award.

LeBron James

After shooting just 33 percent from the field and scoring a mere 15 points in Miami's 113-77 loss in Game 3, there was plenty of criticism being sent in LeBron James' direction. It's tough to argue against James being the best player in the entire league, but he takes more heat than any player in the NBA when he has a poor game. As he so often does, though, James responded in Game 4 by scoring 33 points on 60 percent shooting along with 11 rebounds and four assists.

LeBron simply couldn't hit an open shot in Game 3, but he was a different player in Game 4 as he was more aggressive and more accurate as well. James hadn't scored more than 18 points in any of the first three games of the series, so his Game 4 showing was certainly clutch. In fact, Game 4 represented LeBron's first Finals game ever with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

This hasn't been a vintage LeBron series by any means, but he has to be considered a slight favorite to win the MVP right now, especially if the Heat win the title. He is averaging nearly 21 points, 12 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game in the series, though, so he has definitely made an impact. Provided he continues to score at a rate closer to Game 4 than the other three games and Miami is able to prevail, he should be named MVP for the second consecutive year.

Danny Green

With past playoff stars such as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili still playing for the Spurs, shooting guard Danny Green's Finals performance has definitely been a revelation. He played like a man possessed in Game 3 as he dropped 27 points and connected on seven of his nine attempts from downtown. This came after a Game 2 that saw him score 17 points without missing a single shot from the field.

Green wasn't as good in Game 4 as he scored just 10 points, but that had a lot to do with the fact that he only attempted eight shots. He should have been a bigger part of the offense after Game 3, so either a lack of aggressiveness or a poor offensive scheme from Gregg Popovich is to blame. Green did hit three of his five shots from long range in Game 4, though, and he is shooting an unbelievable 68 percent from three-point land on the series. As InsideHoops.com joked, it's almost as if something has gone horribly wrong when he misfires on a trifecta.

While Green may be hard pressed to continue his current pace since he still isn't viewed as a top offensive option for the Spurs, he has to be considered San Antonio's MVP at the moment. He leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game and he stretches out the Miami defense with his long-range excellence. If he puts up one more game like he did in Game 3 and the Spurs win it all, Green could become the most unlikely MVP in NBA Finals history.

Dwyane Wade

Most fans probably would have laughed at the notion of Dwyane Wade being an MVP candidate after his first three NBA Finals games. While Wade wasn't as awful as some observers made him out to be, he was not a dynamic player. Wade as averaging around 14 points per game, which isn't becoming of a player who is a nine-time All Star, two-time NBA champion and former NBA Finals MVP. The Wade of old made a cameo appearance on Thursday night, though.

Seemingly out of nowhere, D-Wade dropped 32 points and added six rebounds, six steals and four assists as well. He was all over the place and was a factor in both halves. LeBron's great Game 4 was much needed, but it was also expected. Wade is the wild card in this series as the Heat are essentially a lock to win if he continues to play at this level. Even LeBron fully understands Wade's importance, according to Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD.

Wade is behind James in the MVP race right now, but the voters may lean in his favor if he continues his Game 4 pace. Both he and James are extremely valuable to the Heat; however, Miami is a totally different team when Wade is playing like he should. While Wade is somewhat of a dark horse right now, he could quickly become the favorite with a great Game 5 showing.

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