Kevin Durant may have two Finals MVPs from his time with the Golden State Warriors, but his former teammate Quinn Cook says the second one wasn’t part of the plan.
Cook revealed Durant entered the 2017-18 season determined to help Steph Curry win the award.
“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. And To be honest, Kevin wanted Steph to get that Finals MVP the next year so bad,” Cook said speaking 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.
“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’s Game 3 slump – 11 points on 3-16 shooting, including 1-10 from deep in 40 minutes. Meanwhile, Durant’s monster 43-point performance made him a shoo-in.
Curry bounced back in Game 4 with 37 points and seven threes, but Durant had already sealed his fate.
Durant’s consistency across the series earned him Finals MVP for the second straight year, even if it wasn’t what he wanted.
For Curry, it was another near-miss in an era where he collected championships but not the individual Finals honor.
Four years later, Curry finally got it, leading the Warriors past the Boston Celtics in 2022 and hoisting the Finals MVP trophy himself.
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