In a colossal clash of titans, a regalia of stars could have made the claim for this year's NBA Finals Most Valuable Player during any other year.
LeBron James posted the first-ever triple-double average of an NBA Finals, while Kevin Durant scored at a murderous pace, averaging 35.2 points for the series, and Stephen Curry rebounded the ball like an All-Star forward, dropping averages of 26.8 points, 9.4 assists, and 8.0 rebounds per game through the series.
Curry was outshined by a small forward at the peak of his game, going toe-to-toe with arguably the best player in the league — but even if he isn't getting the respect he deserves, according to head coach Steve Kerr — it really isn't about awards, but rather the end result that matters most to him.
“Even two years ago when he didn’t win Finals MVP there was this narrative that he didn’t have a great Finals,” Kerr told Paul Flannery of SB Nation hours after winning the title. “Go back and look at those Finals. He was phenomenal. There’s always going to be different storylines. What’s great about Steph is he doesn’t care. He’s happy for Kevin. He loves being part of the group.”
The culture of unselfishness and ball-sharing starts from the top, but quickly trickles down to the star players, who can be quick to buy-in, or not.
Having bought in early after coach Kerr's hiring, the rest of the team followed by example, knowing full well not many star players would be willing to let go of their share of the spotlight in search of team-based greatness.
“The only one I know so far is Steph Curry,” president and general manager Bob Myers said. “If you want to win, it doesn’t matter. It’s not about who scored what. It’s about winning. I think he knew that. He won a championship, and then we were close and didn’t win one. So you have a clear sense of what matters when you go through that stuff.”
That's why when taking the podium, Durant paid his star teammate the ultimate compliment and took time to highlight his sacrifice and ultimate team-player attitude.
“The stuff you hear about Steph as far as sacrificing and being selfless and caring about his teammates, caring about other people is real,” Durant said. “It's not a fake. It's not a facade. He doesn't put on this mask or this suit every single day to come in here and fake in front of you guys. He really is like that. And it's amazing to see a superstar who sacrifices, who doesn't care about nothing but the group.”
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