The 2018 NBA Finals concluded on Friday with the Golden State Warriors completing a rather lopsided sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers to capture their second championship and third in the past four years.
Kevin Durant earned Finals MVP honors for the second consecutive year, becoming just the sixth player in NBA history to accomplish the feat. He joins a prestigious list that includes a pair of Los Angeles Lakers legends in Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, as well as LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Bryant previously earned Finals MVP honors in 2009-10 while O’Neal did so in three consecutive years from 2000-02. Furthermore, Durant is just the second player in NBA history along with Jordan to win four scoring titles and multiple Finals MVP awards.
Durant solidified his case for the recognition after registering his first career playoff triple-double in the deciding Game 4. He scored 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting while accumulating 12 rebounds and 10 assists in nearly 38 minutes of action.
Moreover, Durant tallied one steal and three blocks on the defensive end. All-in-all, he averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game in the Finals.
Durant further helped his case for Finals MVP with a tremendous shooting display against the Cavaliers. He successfully converted 52.6 percent of his field goal attempts and 40.9 percent from behind the arc.
Durant previously named Bryant and Jordan as teammates he would like to suit up with in the NBA Finals.
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