The 2018 NBA Finals saw the fourth consecutive meeting in the championship between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Steve Kerr and the Warriors taking their third championship in those four years after a sweep of Tyronn Lue’s Cavaliers.
The Finals MVP? Warriors small forward Kevin Durant, a bonafide Hall of Famer.
However, according to his former teammate Quinn Cook, KD didn’t want his second consecutive Finals MVP award, as he wanted fellow star Stephen Curry to be graced with the honor.
“When we were in Houston and Toyota Center was going crazy, and they just made a 9-0 run and we needed a bucket, we’re going to Kevin every single time. And to be honest, Kevin wanted Steph to get that Finals MVP the next year so bad,” Cook said on the Player’s Choice podcast. “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.”
However, Durant was the more consistent star in the 2018 Finals, turning in a 40-point effort in Game 3, and a triple-double in Game 4, and after averaging 28.8 points per game to Curry’s 27.5, Durant was awarded his second straight Finals MVP, which Cook said “accidentally” happened.
Curry’s time would come four years later, however, as he was named Finals MVP when the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals.
