Former Warriors teammate Kevin Durant heaps praises of Stephen Curry’s iconic Game Four performance in the 2022 NBA Finals at the TD Garden.
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Post the 2019 Finals, the Warriors found themselves in deep waters, with Kevin Durant departing to Brooklyn and Klay Thompson suffering a season-ending injury. Things only became worse with Stephen Curry fracturing his hand only a few games into the season.
Golden State finished the 2019-20 season with 15-wins, having the worst record in the league. The following season saw shades of the 2015-16 Curry as he clinched his second scoring title. However, the Warriors failed to make it past the play-in tournament.
Fast forward to the 2021-22 season, the Dubs looked like solid contenders, with the likes of Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins making waves. The Warriors were back to winning with the return of Klay Thompson from where they never looked behind, going on to lift their 4th title in 8-years.
GSW being crowned 2022 champion with Curry as the Finals MVP had many throw shade at Kevin Durant. Nevertheless, the two-time Finals MVP had nothing but praise for Steph, terming his Game Four performance against the Celtics as iconic.
“That Game Four was iconic to me”: Kevin Durant gives his flowers to Stephen Curry.
The recent Finals against the Celtics had Steph Curry silence all his critics and naysayers as he lifted the Bill Russell Finals MVP award. Many felt Curry was yet to solidify his legacy, as his resume lacked a Finals MVP, with Andre Iguodala and Durant winning the award in the last three championships.
Nevertheless, Curry came out all guns blazing in the playoffs, taking it a notch higher during the Finals. The former unanimous MVP was on a mission, leading his team from the front and coming up big during clutch situations. It was Game Four that served as a turning point in the Finals.
During a recent episode of his podcast, KD would discuss the Warriors winning the chip and how Curry’s Game Four performance impressed him the most.
“That Game Four was iconic to me. It’s like much more than just the win, that game right there was just like, alright, this is one of the greatest we’ve ever seen. And in that environment and the shots, he was making and the rebounds though. It was the rebounds for me, ’cause playing with Steph, that’s how I know he’s super, super-engaged when he’s on the boards heavy. Coming over somebody’s back, so it’s just like, he really wants this.”
Via: The ETCs with Kevin Durant
Durant shunned the narrative of him being jealous of the Warriors. In all his three seasons with the Warriors, KD went to the Finals, winning two of them, and would’ve 3-peated hadn’t it been for his devastating Achilles injury.
Though the Slim Reaper was the best player on the Warriors during his stay in the Bay Area, Curry and co-winning the chip lately have put question marks on Durant’s legacy. Thus the Nets superstar needs to win at least one title, with him being the face of the franchise.
