When Stephen Curry was not named the 2018 Finals MVP, he became agitated.

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The Golden State Warriors were unstoppable during the Kevin Durant era, but there was also a lot of turmoil. Former NBA veteran Nick Young opened up about some of the internal strife within the Warriors during an appearance on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast. He also said that Stephen Curry nearly broke down in tears before to Kevin Durant winning the 2018 Finals MVP award.

“I recall that Steph and KD were tied for first place. After Steph had a poor performance, Durant started to hit, according to Young. “After a victory, Steph was in the locker room with her head down and almost in tears. His goal was to defeat that b*tch. Steph was unable to hit a shot, so Durant attempted to hand it to him because he had won the previous year. It was his lowest Finals score to date.”

The 14-time All-Star Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Warriors in 2016. His arrival signalled the beginning of the team’s dominant run, and the two-man game he played with the 36-year-old Stephen Curry is still regarded as one of the best in the league.

There was little doubt that the 2018 NBA Finals lacked competitiveness. In their second season together, the Warriors faced an utterly outclassed Cavaliers squad, led by LeBron James. With an average score advantage of 15 points throughout the four games, the Warriors won the series 4-0. Steph only garnered four MVP votes, compared to Durant’s seven.

For the first two games of the Finals, Curry and Durant were tied for MVP, but things turned around for the next two games. The 6’2″ point guard had a really poor game in Game 3, scoring just 11 points, which gave the Cavaliers the opportunity to tie the game late. If Kevin Durant hadn’t scored 43 points, the Warriors might have dropped that crucial match in Cleveland.

Even though Curry finally responded in Game 4 with 37 points, he was not named Final MVP. He wouldn’t eventually win the trophy for himself after winning his fourth championship until 2022.

Even though Steph and Durant never showed animosity towards one another, it’s easy to understand why their relationship ended after just three years. The Warriors were and will always be Stephen Curry’s team, and everyone felt weird when Durant joined the team because of the power struggle that ensued.

After losing in the Finals, Durant departed a year later, but his tenure with Curry will live on in the annals of NBA history. As two ultimate superstars at the pinnacle of their abilities, they dominated at a level never seen before, and it was genuinely undiscovered ground.

Although that degree of power may never return, Curry’s current status as the only alpha dog was probably for the best. He no longer has to worry about competing with teammates for awards because he is a living basketball legend and can play with complete freedom.

There have been rumours that Durant would rejoin the Warriors in the future, but such a major move would require Steph’s blessing, and it’s unclear if he would agree to return for that experience.