Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has navigated four NBA Finals without earning the biggest award at that stage, but even if he's not chasing the very elusive Finals MVP trophy, his longtime teammates know he's well deserving of it and will fight to help him get there:

“He's been a great teammate for eight years,” said backcourt partner Klay Thompson before Game 2, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. “Even a better friend. You root for guys like Steph because he doesn't take any shortcuts. He works extremely hard. He's a family man. He's just a prime example of what you want your leader to be.”

Andre Iguodala, who earned the honor in 2015 after being made into a starter following an entire season coming off the bench, knows he'll do what it takes to protect his legacy. A part of that feeling of brotherhood is the willingness to run through a wall for someone who has never acted like he's above the job:

“He's not arrogant,” said Iguodala. “He doesn't go about life like a superstar. DeMarcus [Cousins] said it one day — he was like, ‘He's the most normal superstar I've ever seen.' He's like, ‘This is unreal.' But it's just talk about culture. People don't understand how important that is.”

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Head coach Steve Kerr knows Curry won't shoot for MVP honors, but rather let it come naturally if it's meant to be. Curry's primary and sole obsession is to win another championship and help the Warriors cement themselves as one of the NBA's greatest dynasties:

“Steph's just unselfish and all about the team,” Kerr said just before the start of the Finals. “And I'm sure he would love to win Finals MVP, but he's much more about the team than he is about the individual. He's proven that over and over again. And he's been amazing throughout the playoffs and we'll just keep counting on him and relying on him and we're lucky to be able to do so.”

Curry is in great position to win the award if he can have a big Game 3 at home, short of Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney, along with some hobbled legs holding on for the sake of a common goal.