Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant claims second Finals MVP
CLEVELAND — Kevin Durant went back-to-back, twice.
It’s now two straight NBA championships for the Golden State Warriors, and two consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards for the forward who played a huge role in getting them to those titles.
Durant posted his first playoff triple-double in the Game 4 clincher, a 108-83 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers. It followed his 43-point masterpiece in Game 3, in which he drilled a 33-foot 3-pointer in the final minute to clinch the win.
Durant averaged 28.8 points in the series, along with 10.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists.
”It’s just about the journey, all season,” Durant said. ”Getting up every day, going to work with these guys, it’s amazing. The environment is incredible. It’s good for you to be around guys like this. It helps you become a better basketball player and a better man.”
Durant becomes the 11th player to win Finals MVP twice, joining six-time winner Michael Jordan, three-timers Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and LeBron James, and two-timers Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Willis Reed and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
He’s also the sixth player to win it in consecutive years, with Jordan, O’Neal, James, Olajuwon and Bryant being the others.
Durant is one of 30 players to win the award.
Since 2009 the award has been named for Celtics legend Bill Russell, the 11-time champion who surely would have won the award multiple times if it existed in his playing days.
