Kevin Durant’s stint with the Golden State Warriors brought two NBA titles for Slim Reaper and the NBA Finals MVP.
Kevin Durant’s tenure with the Golden State Warriors lasted only three years, but he still faces the impact of joining the dub.
Clearly, KD has had some discussions with fans over his legacy, but the Houston Rockets star continues to downplay the negative impact of his GSW stint.
Unfortunately, Durant believes that even Warriors fans don’t appreciate him. why? Because he won the NBA Finals MVP two times with Stephen Curry.
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 the first two matches.
However, Durant’s joining the Warriors in the summer of 2016 definitely turned the scale upside down in favor of dub. After all, the Warriors had no trouble winning the 2017 NBA Championship with the Cavs, as Slim Reaper was named Finals MVP.
However, towards the 2018 NBA Finals, Durant was not planning to win any honors. At least that’s what Quinkook revealed in an April 2025 episode of the Panel via Player Choice.
“To be honest, Kevin wanted Steph to make that final MVP so bad the following year, and that’s all he was talking about.
“I think Game 2 is when Steph broke the record.
For context, Durant averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game for the Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals. Meanwhile, Curry increased 27.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.
Curry was close, but there’s no doubt that KD had better numbers in a 4-0 sweep against the Cavaliers.
As Cook said, Curry had all the momentum behind him after Game 2 of the series. So, what happened next? Now, the former NBA guard believes KD led in Game 3.
“In Game 3, we were struggling. Steph was struggling. Kevin accidentally turned 40.
“…He wasn’t even offensive, that’s how good he is and he accidentally got a back-to-back MVP for the final,” Cook said.
In fact, Game 3 was a turning point as the matchup ended with 43 points. Meanwhile, Curry was only 11 points in a 110-102 victory.