Ranking every NBA Finals MVP in Golden State Warriors history
By Will Eudy
3. Rick Barry
Finals MVP: 1975
When the Golden State Warriors (then located in Philadelphia) won championships in 1947 and 1956, the Finals MVP award had not yet been created. As such, Rick Barry became the organization’s first winner of the honor when the Dubs swept the 1975 NBA Finals against the Washington Bullets.
Falling down by double digits in three of the four Finals games, Barry was the catalyst for three Warrior comebacks and led Golden State in scoring in each game. His 29.5 points led the team by a wide margin. In games two and three of the 1975 Finals, Barry scored 36 and 38 points respectively. This stood as the most points scored in consecutive Finals games by a Warrior until Kevin Durant equaled that total in games four and five of the 2017 Finals.
One of the pioneers of Golden State basketball, Rick Barry’s 1975 Finals remains among the most important performances in Warriors history. It was the pinnacle for one of the top scorers of the 1970s. Barry’s shooting prowess paved the way for even greater scorers to take up his mantle in the Bay Area, like the ones in the top two of our list.