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Kevin Durant’s stint with the Golden State Warriors resulted in two NBA titles and NBA Finals MVPs for the Slim Reaper.
While Kevin Durant’s tenure with the Golden State Warriors only lasted for three years, he’s still facing the repercussions of joining the Dubs.
Evidently, KD has been in several debates with fans over his legacy, but the Houston Rockets star continues to downplay the negative impact of his GSW stint.
Unfortunately, Durant believes even Warriors fans do not appreciate him. Why? Because he won two NBA Finals MVPs over Stephen Curry.
Kevin Durant ‘wanted’ Steph Curry to win 2018 NBA Finals MVP
The mid-2010s featured an impressive rivalry between the Warriors and the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. In fact, the two teams won the NBA Finals once in their first two matchups.
However, Durant joining the Warriors in the summer of 2016 definitely tipped the scales in favor of the Dubs. After all, the Warriors had no trouble in winning the 2017 NBA Championship over the Cavs as the Slim Reaper was named the Finals MVP.
But heading into the 2018 NBA Finals, Durant had no plans to win the honor, at least that’s what Quinn Cook revealed in an April, 2025 episode of The Panel via Players Choice.
“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 till Steph gets his Finals MVP so he can shut up everybody.’
“I think Game 2, that’s when Steph broke the record. I think he had [9 threes],” Cook said.
For context, Durant averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game for the Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals. On the other hand, Curry put up 27.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game.
Curry was close, but there’s no doubt that KD had the better numbers in the 4-0 sweep against the Cavaliers.
Quinn Cook explains how Kevin Durant ‘accidentally’ won the 2018 NBA Finals MVP
As Cook mentioned, Curry had all the momentum behind him after Game 2 of the series. So, what happened next? Well, the former NBA guard believes KD took the lead in Game 3.
“In Game 3 we were struggling. Steph was struggling, and Kevin just accidentally walked into 40-whatever.
“… He wasn’t even aggressive, that’s how good he is, and he just accidentally got the Finals MVP back-to-back,” Cook said.
Indeed, Game 3 was the turning point as Durant finished the matchup with 43 points. On the other hand, Curry had just 11 points in the 110-102 win.
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