NBA Finals 2017: Warriors’ Kevin Durant wins Finals MVP

Golden State Warriors’ forward Kevin Durant captured his first NBA Championship on Monday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Durant is also the Most Valuable Player in the NBA Finals.

“It hurts man, it just hurts,” Kevin Durant muttered as he was slouched over the microphone in American Airlines Arena. It was June 21, 2012 and LeBron James and the Heat just dispatched the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. Durant vowed to return to that point, stating he “wouldn’t want to play with anyone else or for any other city.”

Fast forward nearly five years and Durant is no longer just a regular season MVP, a scoring champion or an All-NBA player — he’s an NBA Champion and a Finals’ MVP. A lot has changed since that tough moment in Miami. Durant is now a Warrior and is playing at the peak of his powers.

The NBA Finals has been a showcase of Kevin Durant’s ability as a basketball player, proving that the gap between him and LeBron James is only narrowing. The Easy Money Sniper took control of the series in Game 1, scoring 38 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out eight assists. Thought it was a one game thing? Nope. Durant backed it up in Game 2 with 33 points and 13 boards. Durant’s efficiency was at an all-time high and it looked like he was playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers.

In Cleveland for Game 3, Kevin Durant had one the highlight moments of his career. Down two with 51.9 seconds left, Durant wrestles down the rebound, races up the court and pulls up from Akron to hit a three-pointer over LeBron James for the lead. The Warriors took Game 3 and Durant’s stock was through the roof — or ceiling (am I right Michael Jordan?)

Durant carried the Warriors to the Larry O’Brien Trophy in Game 5, scoring 39 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing five assists.

For the entire series, the Warriors’ forward averaged 35.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game on 55.6 percent shooting. He was spectacular throughout the series and validated why he was the most valuable player in these NBA Finals.

It was quite obvious after three games who the MVP for the Warriors was. The voting numbers reflected it as well.

While his teammates took turns of which game they were going to show up for, Durant was consistent on both ends of the floor. He willed the Warriors to wins, and silenced all the naysayers in the process.

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Kevin Durant is now an NBA Champion, something a critic can never take away from him. Ladies and Gents, here’s your Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals, Mr. Kevin Durant.