Three stars from Tuesday's NBA playoffs

Jokic's 16-point third quarter truly showed how unstoppable he was, but even before that, Minnesota was in trouble. During TNT's halftime show, Draymond Green refereed to Gobert as "barbecued chicken" — meaning Jokic could eat all night.

Jokic was credited with 13 assists and it honestly could have been much more if the league counted passes that led to shooting fouls on the Timberwolves. The ones that did count were impressive enough.

When Denver lost the first two games of the series at home, Jokic looked embarrassed. Since then, he's averaged 33 points, 9.3 rebounds and 9.7 assists, while shooting over 60 percent from the field. Tuesday night was a master class, but Jokic has been masterful for three straight games now.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson | 44 points, seven assists

After just two seasons in New York, Jalen Brunson is becoming one of the most beloved Knicks of all time. That's because he's having one of the best playoff runs by a Knick since they won two titles in the 1970s. In the Knicks' 121-91 Game 5 victory, Brunson scored 44 points and delivered seven assists while the NBA's official account asserted that his turnaround jumper never missed.

Indiana might believe it after his second 40-point game of the series. It might be one thing if Brunson were just averaging 32 points per game, but he's also averaging nearly six assists per game. Or if he weren't consistently outplaying the Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton, who is averaging 21.6 points and 6.8 assists. 

Haliburton had two big shooting games at home, but in New York, he seems hesitant to shoot. He took nine shots on Tuesday after only taking six in the Pacers' Game 1 loss.

If Brunson can help the Knicks put Indiana away and reach their first conference finals in 24 years, he may never have to pay for a subway ride, bodega breakfast sandwich or egg cream in New York City ever again.

New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein | 17 rebounds, 12 offensive

One way to tell Isaiah Hartenstein was having a historic playoff game was how openly the announcers were celebrating his imminent lucrative contract this summer. After a spectacular rebounding game in which he gave the Knicks many extra possessions and shut down the Pacer's offense inside, he could put together quite an audition tape for any free-agent suitors.

Hartenstein bounced back from a tough Game 4, after which he told reporters that his play was "not respectful to the fans." Tying Charles Oakley's franchise playoff record with 12 offensive boards was eminently respectful.