The Golden State Warriors stacked their roster with Kevin Durant in 2016, even if they already had legendary shooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson with Draymond Green, which subsequently led to three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. Nick Young gave an insight into how badly Stephen Curry wanted to get the Finals MVP citation in the 2018 championship series.

The Warriors were dominant in 2016, posting a league-record 73-9 record and making their second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, but they eventually fell short against the Cleveland Cavaliers in an epic seven-game series. Months later, the Warriors pried Durant away from the Oklahoma City Thunder after leading the Thunder in an epic seven-game series against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

In a three-season span, Durant helped the Warriors punch three more trips to the finals. He was named Finals MVP in both the 2017 and 2018 title runs over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Stephen Curry close to tears in trying to win Finals MVP over Kevin Durant

Nick Young, who was part of the Warriors' 2018 title team, told Gilbert Arenas in an episode of Gil's Arena that Stephen Curry wanted the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy so badly that he nearly broke into tears in the locker room in an attempt to win the citation.

“I remember they was neck and neck, KD [Durant] and Steph [Curry], then Steph had one bad game…KD was hitting. Locker room Steph, head was down [and] damn near tears after a win. Man, he wanted to win that [Finals MVP],” Young said. “KD was trying to give it to him, like KD won it a year before…[Durant] was trying to miss. [But] Steph couldn't make a shot.”

The Warriors swept the LeBron James-led Cavaliers in the 2018 series, 4-0, in what was the fourth consecutive and last meeting between the two teams. The following year, the Warriors failed to complete a three-peat after falling to the Toronto Raptors in six games, in a series marked by Durant's Achilles injury and Klay Thompson's ACL injury.

Durant later moved to the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, where he was unsuccessful in forming a Big Three combo with Kyrie Irving and later James Harden. He subsequently landed with the Phoenix Suns in a four-team trade in February 2023.

In 2022, the Warriors won their first post-Durant NBA title over the Boston Celtics, with Curry finally winning his first Finals MVP trophy.

Paul George, Gilbert Arenas chime in on dominant Warriors teams with Durant

Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George previously said on his Podcast P presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment that the Warriors teams with Kevin Durant from 2017 to 2019 were on a whole new level, especially a season removed from the historic 73-9 regular season mark in 2016.

“That is by far the toughest Warriors team,” George said. “That team is up there for the best team that I've played.”

Meanwhile, Gilbert Arenas said Durant going to the Warriors was a huge sacrifice, with his arrival pushing the Warriors over the hump against the LeBron James-led Cavaliers.