Ex-teammates Finals memory illustrates Warriors' star's ruthless competitiveness

When things are all said and done, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will go down as one of the most unselfish superstars in the history of the NBA.

Never was that more evident than when Kevin Durant join the Warriors in the 2016 offseason, with the superstar forward's seamless fit largely owed to Curry's acceptance of sharing the limelight with another of the league's all-time greats. However, it appears the two-MVP was not always happy to simply let Durant take the credit for the team's success.

Nick Young's recollection of the 2018 Finals perfectly illustrates the fierce competitiveness of Golden State Warriors' star Stephen Curry

Recently joining the Gil's Arena Show, Durant and Curry's former teammate and NBA champion Nick Young revealed just how disappointed the superstar guard was after a Game 3 of the 2018 Finals that may well have cost him MVP of the series.

"I remember they was neck and neck KD and Steph. Then Steph had one bad game, KD was hittin'. Locker room Steph's head was down damn near tears. Yeah after a win, man he wanted to win that b***h."

- Nick Young

Durant had a classic Finals performance with 43 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, helping to compensate for Curry's 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting while fellow splash brother Klay Thompson had only 10 points on 4-of-10 from the floor.

Durant's performance lifted the Warriors to a 110-102 victory, and though Curry responded with a 37-point outburst to complete the sweep over the Cleveland Cavaliers, his chances of Finals MVP were already dashed.

The award went to Durant for a second-straight year, having averaged 28.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists throughout the series. Curry averaged 27.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists, numbers that suggest that even a reasonable Game 3 could've elevated him to Finals MVP.

Curry has himself revealed his disappointment was directed at simply his poor play in Game 3 rather than the Finals MVP factor, but nevertheless it was a display of his often overlooked ruthless competitiveness that's been an enormous feature of his path to greatness.

That 2018 individual disappointment undoubtedly spurred Curry on to finally capturing that elusive Finals MVP in what became his crowning moment against the Boston Celtics in 2022.