The 2018 NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers was a competitive neck-to-neck race, but not between the two teams playing each other.
Instead, Steph Curry and former Warriors teammate Kevin Durant showcased performances worthy of winning the NBA Finals MVP Award through the first two games of the best-of-seven series. But after Curry's shooting struggles in Game 3 -- a game Golden State still won -- ex-Warriors guard Nick Young said he witnessed Curry being visibly upset in the locker room afterward.
"I remember they were neck and neck, KD and Steph," Young recalled on a recent episode of "Gil's Arena," featuring host Gilbert Arenas. "And then Steph had one bad game and KD was hitting. [In the] locker room, Steph's head was down, damn near in tears -- after a win.
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"He wanted to win that [award]. KD was trying to give it to him. KD had won it the year before so he was trying to give it to him. But Steph couldn't make a shot. He had like the lowest he's scored in the Finals. But it was a sweep."
Curry dropped 29 points in Game 1 that series and then topped it with 33 points in Game 2 on nine made-3s. Meanwhile, Durant finished with 26 points in both Game 1 and Game 2.
Things changed in the following contest, though, as the series relocated to Cleveland. Curry finished the game with just 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting (18.7 percent) from the field and 1 of 10 (10 percent) from 3-point range, with five rebounds and six assists in just under 40 minutes.
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Durant not only maintained his dominance in Game 3 but maximized it with a 40-piece, finishing with 43 points on 15-of-23 shooting (65.2 percent) from the field and 6 of 9 (66.7 percent) from deep, along with 13 rebounds and seven assists in 43 minutes.
When it initially seemed like the Finals MVP trophy was up for grabs between the two stars, their respective Game 3 showings made the result a little more clear.
Curry in the past has downplayed his emotional state after losing the award to his future Hall of Fame teammate, stating he wasn't so much upset with not winning the award but more frustrated with himself for playing "like trash" in Game 3.
Nonetheless, there's no question about how Curry, Durant and the entire Warriors organization felt after winning their second consecutive NBA title as a group. Plus, Curry finally earned the Finals MVP four years later when the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.
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