"His head was down with damn near tears": Ex-Warrior on Steph Curry's reaction to Durant racing ahead in 2018 Finals MVP battle
During the Golden State Warriors’ era with Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, the team obliterated their competition and appeared unbeatable on the court. However, despite their success, a member of that championship squad revealed that there was also an internal rivalry between the two stars for the Finals MVP award.
Appearing in an episode of Gil’s Arena, Nick Young, a member of the Warriors’ championship team in the 2017-18 season, claimed Steph Curry and Durant were fighting for the Finals MVP award.
“I remember, they was neck and neck, KD and Steph. Then Steph had one bad game; KD was hitting. At the locker room, Steph's head was down, damn near tears after a win. Man, he wanted to win that b***h,” Young said.
Durant averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals.
He scored 26 points with nine rebounds and six assists in Game 1, followed by 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in Game 2. In Game 3, Durant exploded for 43 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, and in Game 4, he recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Meanwhile, Curry averaged 27.5 points, 6.8 assists and 6.0 rebounds in the series.
He outscored Durant in three games: scoring 29 points with nine assists and six rebounds in Game 1, 33 points with eight assists and seven rebounds in Game 2 and 37 points with six rebounds, four assists and three blocks in Game 4, where he took 27 shots in 39 minutes.
However, Curry struggled in Game 3, scoring just 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting from the field and 1-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Durant won the Finals MVP award, his second as a member of Golden State.
Kevin Durant calls Steph Curry the greatest PG ever
In February this season, after the Phoenix Suns lost to the Golden State Warriors 113-112, Kevin Durant praised his former teammate Steph Curry as the best point guard of all time.
"He is the all-time greatest ever at his position," Durant said. "Top five ever."
Though Curry did not win a Finals MVP during the Warriors' dynasty years, losing it to Andre Iguodala and Durant, he earned the award while leading the Warriors to the title in 2022.
Curry averaged 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists as the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals.