The Golden State Warriors built a dynasty around Stephen Curry, who at one point had Kevin Durant as his right-hand man. By then, Curry already owned two MVP awards, including the league’s first unanimous honor, and had collected two NBA championships. Still, one thing was missing from his résumé — the coveted Finals MVP.
During the Warriors’ 2015 title run, Andre Iguodala edged Curry for Finals MVP honors, keeping the award out of the regular season MVP’s hands. Then, in the team’s back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018, both Finals MVP trophies went to Durant. For Curry, it wasn’t an issue at first. Winning titles was all that mattered, and with two rings secured, he wasn’t concerned about individual accolades.
However, as the Warriors continued their run, the question became impossible to ignore. When Golden State returned to the NBA Finals in 2018, the narrative around Curry’s missing Finals MVP grew louder. “I could not run from it. It was always something in front of me because we had been to four straight Finals at that point, had won three out of four. In 2018, I guess I was close. I had a bad Game 3 and KD played unbelievable the entire time,” Curry admitted.
In the 2017 Finals, Durant had overshadowed Curry with an outstanding series. He averaged 35.2 points per game while shooting 47.4 percent from three, making a statement in his first championship run with the Warriors. Curry still played well, but the spotlight squarely belonged to Durant, who left no doubt about his Finals MVP credentials that year.
The Warriors returned to the Finals again in 2018, and Curry thought he might finally seize the award. He opened the series with 29 and 33 points in the first two games, putting himself in strong position. But Game 3 proved costly. Curry struggled mightily on 3-of-16 shooting while Durant poured in 43 points, pushing Golden State to a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Curry bounced back with 37 points in Game 4 to help the Warriors close out the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the voters ultimately rewarded Durant’s consistency. KD’s scoring outputs of 26, 26, 43, and 20 points across the four games outweighed Curry’s efforts. The result was a second consecutive Finals MVP for Durant, leaving Curry empty-handed once again despite three championship rings in four years.
“It goes into the conversation in the sense of in that moment, if you’re playing for Finals MVP, you’re probably not going to get it done cuz you’re distracted and might sabotage your stuff a little bit,” Curry reflected later. “I never really thought about it much, but in ’18 I got close to thinking about it. But I’d rather have rings, obviously, and the opportunity to get rings. KD too well beyond deserved the Finals MVP.”
Fortunately for Curry, the long wait finally ended in 2022. The Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics for their fourth NBA title since 2015, and Curry left no doubts this time. He delivered a Herculean effort, averaging 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game while connecting on 31 three-pointers. The Finals MVP was his at last, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players in league history.