NBA Finals 2018 MVP: Kevin Durant Surpasses Stephen Curry As Best Player Against Cavaliers

Stephen Curry hit a record-setting nine three-pointers in the Golden State Warriors’ Game 2 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, making the 2018 NBA Finals MVP award his to lose. The point guard put himself in position to be recognized as the best player on basketball’s biggest stage, having failed to do so in three straight tries.

One bad game later, and it looks like the honor will elude the greatest shooter we’ve ever seen, once again.

Everything changed in Game 3 as Kevin Durant led the Warriors to a 110-102 victory on the road, giving Golden State a commanding 3-0 series lead. The reigning Finals MVP carried the defending champions with 43 points on 15-23 shooting, adding 13 rebounds and seven assists. Durant hit a 33-foot dagger with less than a minute remaining, ending any hope Cleveland had of making a comeback, much like he did in Game 3 a year ago.

It might be fair to say that Durant seized the award from his teammate with a historic performance, but Curry played an equal role in handing over his spot as the Finals MVP favorite. Curry had, by far, his worst game of the postseason, missing 13 of 16 field goals, including nine of 10 from three-point range.

Their numbers in the series are no longer comparable. Durant is averaging 31.7 points on 55.9 percent shooting with 10.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game. Curry’s scoring 24.3 points on 38.5 percent shooting with 6.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game.

Durant is taking fewer than 20 shots per contest and is an overall plus-56 for the series. Curry is averaging 21.7 field goal attempts, and the Warriors have outscored the Cavs by 29 points when he's been on the court. Durant's plus-minus has been at least five points better than Curry's in each contest.

Durant had a bad Game 1 by his standards, though his final line of 26 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three blocks on 22 shots was more than respectable. He’s been unstoppable since then, shooting an incredible 25-37 from the field. It’s felt like he hasn’t missed a shot since J.R. Smith's now infamous blunder.

Curry was very good in the series opener, and he went off in the fourth quarter of Game 2. He hasn’t thoroughly outplayed LeBron James on any night like Durant did in Game 3.

There is still time for the narrative to change. A strong performance Friday night could make Curry the Warriors’ best player in three of four games, giving him a case to win the award.

But there doesn’t seem to be any stopping Durant, for whom Cleveland has no answers. In eight Finals games against the Cavs as a member of the Warriors, Durant is averaging 33.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game while shooting nearly 56 percent from the field.

This postseason might have erased any doubt that James is still the best player in the NBA, but it also made it abundantly clear which player stands alone as Golden State’s top superstar.