CLEVELAND -- After being subjected to a vote on the Bill Russell Award that was much tighter than their four-game sweep of the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, Warriors teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant laughed into the night.
It was Durant who picked up the trophy that goes to the NBA Finals MVP.
Curry finished second and had to be, um, content with earning his third championship ring in four years.
“KD's been amazing these last two years, especially in The Finals, and so deserving of back-to-back Finals MVPs,” Curry said after the Warriors’ 108-85 victory in Game 4 Friday night to complete a sweep of the Cavaliers. “I'm going to be his biggest fan in there with what he's able to do.
“The biggest thing we appreciate in the locker room is what everybody brings to the table, and we kind of unlock the greatness out of each other. I can put my head on the pillow tonight and -- actually, I might not go to sleep. When I do go to sleep, put my head on the pillow and understand I had a great year, had a great Finals and I'm a champ.”
Both players submitted stellar work in The Finals. Curry set a Finals record for 3-pointers in a game with nine in Game 2. Durant poured in 43 points in Game 3, single-handedly pinning the Cavaliers into a corner, one loss from going home.
And both were fantastic in Game 4. Curry poured in a game-high 37 points, including 7-of-15 shooting beyond the arc, adding six rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. Durant posted his first playoff triple-double, with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, while adding three blocks.
Durant was grateful for the award but considered it more of a team award than an individual honor.
“Does it matter? Does it? Does it? We won two championships,” he said. “We just won back-to-back. I don't think anybody's even worried about that type of stuff. I'm glad that we came out and played a great game tonight. We were able to finish the series off. That's the only thing that matters to us.
“We all want something that's bigger than ourselves. We love to see each other succeed. We love to come together and figure stuff out on the basketball court.”
In a vote of 11 media members, Durant received seven votes and Curry four. The uneven number of voters eliminates the possibility of a tie.
“At the end of the day, it's not going to define my career,” Curry said. “I've done a lot and accomplished a lot and done it with some great teammates. So I’m definitely happy with where I'm at.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr credited Curry for his selflessness, and then recalled the events of two years ago.
“One of the great things about having the talent around him is that he gets to win championships,” Kerr said. “Two years ago we lost, and in Game 7 to Cleveland, and that was devastating. Steph went out and recruited KD with this in mind, winning titles.
“I was there in the Hamptons when we had that discussion. I don't remember anybody asking who is going to win MVP in The Finals. It was all about let's win championships together, and that's what this is about. You guys can write about MVP. We don't care.”
Neither do Curry or Durant. They’re to busy fiddling with stogies and spilling champagne.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Coverage of the Warriors 2018 Championship Parade begins Tuesday at 9:30am on NBC Sports Bay Area and streaming on NBCSportsBayArea.com.
| Game |
Result/Schedule |
| Game 1 |
Warriors 124, Cavs 114 (OT) |
| Game 2 |
Warriors 122, Cavs 103 |
| Game 3 |
Warriors 110, Cavs 102 |
| Game 4 |
Warriors 108, Cavs 85 |
