Even after making five consecutive NBA Finals appearances with the Warriors and winning three championships, Steph Curry never was crowned Finals MVP during those dynastic years from 2014 to 2019.
Curry and the Warriors won their first title of the bunch in the 2015 NBA Finals, and despite Curry averaging 26.2 points on 44.7-percent shooting from the field and 40.7 percent from 3-point range, Andre Iguodala earned the Finals MVP award after his clutch defensive efforts against LeBron James.
James and the Cleveland Cavaliers got their revenge the following season as the two teams met again on the big stage, so Curry would have to wait at least another year to finally get his first Finals MVP.
But Golden State landed superstar Kevin Durant that offseason, who helped the Warriors make three more consecutive Finals appearances and win two more titles. Durant hoisted the Finals MVP trophy in both 2017 and 2018, although the second time appears to have been accidental.
Former NBA point guard Quinn Cook, who was a part of that 2017-18 Warriors championship team, recalled that Durant’s mindset was actually to make Curry win his first Finals MVP since Durant had just won the award the year prior.
“When we were in Houston and Toyota Center’s going crazy, and they just made a 9-0 run and we needed a bucket, we’re going to Kevin every single time,” Cook said on “The Player’s Choice” podcast. “And to be honest, Kevin wanted Steph to get that Finals MVP the next year so bad. That’s all he was talking about all season, like I can’t wait until Steph gets his Finals MVP so he can shut up everybody, the naysayers.
“But I think in Game 2 [of the Finals], that’s when Steph broke the record, he had nine 3s. And then Game 3, we were struggling, Steph was struggling, and Kevin just accidentally walked into 40 [points]. And then you just look at the numbers statistically, I think Kevin had a triple-double in Game 4. He wasn’t even as aggressive; that’s just how good he is. He just accidentally got the Finals MVP back-to-back.”
Curry had a 29-point Game 1 and then backed it up with a historic 33-point Game 2. But the sharpshooter struggled in Game 3, finishing with just 11 points on an uncharacteristic 3-of-16 shooting from the field and 1 of 10 from distance in nearly 40 minutes of action.
Durant’s 43 points kept the Warriors alive, though, as Golden State still came out on top with a narrow 8-point victory. And while the Warriors still won the game, Curry knew his shot at securing Finals MVP went out the door with his poor performance.
Curry bounced back in Game 4, knocking down seven 3s and finishing with 37 points. But Durant was awarded the Finals MVP for being the Warriors’ most consistent player.
That one stung Curry for years, but four seasons later, he led the Warriors back to the NBA Finals and finally got his Finals MVP trophy after Golden State defeated the Boston Celtics in 2022.
Now that he’s finally added Finals MVP to his résumé, he’d rather just compete and win another championship in his remaining NBA years, with less care for who is crowned Finals MVP.
