- Steve Kerr and Andre Iguodala kept saying the Warriors had to win the championship “for” Steve Curry.
- Kerr praised Carey’s humility and leadership, calling him “the reason” for the Warriors’ success.
- Curry was emotional after a dominant Finals earned him the first player in the Finals.
Steve Kerr desperately wanted Stephen Curry to win this championship.
The Golden State Warriors wrapped up the Finals over the Boston Celtics on Thursday, winning their fourth championship in eight years. It’s been a great comeback, as the Warriors have missed the post-season for the past two years amid injuries and shrinking rosters.
After Game Six, ESPN Kerr’s Scott Van Pelt asked Curry’s collapse in tears as the Warriors won the championship. Kerr praised Curry’s leadership and said he wanted to win “for” Curry.
“Andre Iguodala and I talked last week and all we can say to each other is, ‘We have to do it for Steve.’ This is for Steve,” Kerr said.
“But we wanted it so badly for Steve because as much as the organization is great – the ownership, the front office, the great talent on our roster, the incredible players – Steve is the reason for this contract. He really is.”
Describing Curry as “a superior athlete and human being,” Kerr added, “I’ve compared him to Tim Duncan a million times. He has that kind of humility and confidence all in one place, which makes everyone in this locker room all together. You want to fight for him. He’s amazing and no I can be happy for him.”
Earlier in the night, Kerr called this tournament the defining achievement of Carey’s career. Curry also won the MVP award in the finals for the first time.
Curry has the dominant NBA Finals, averaging 31 points per game on 48% shooting, 43% from a three-point range. Curry carried the Warriors at times, such as in the Decisive 4 game in Boston when Curry poured in 43 points while making seven three-pointers, as the Warriors tied the series, 2-2.
After a quiet win at Game 5 in San Francisco, Curry came back alive in Game 6, scoring 34 points on 12 of 21 shots and 6 of 11 for threes. He also added 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals.
Curry was emotional for several moments after the match, passionately celebrating with his teammates, coaches and family. In a post-game interview with ESPN, Curry said no one expected the Warriors to return to being the final champions.
Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry in 2021.
Jeff Chiu / AP Images
Kerr admitted this to Van Pelt.
“Especially after what we’ve been through over the past two years,” Kerr said. “We had the worst record in the league in two years, we lost due to injuries and leaving.” “For this group to be able to come back here – I’m not sure we ever knew we could do it. We were hoping we could do it, but we didn’t. So it’s really amazing.”
Kerr was often concerned with Carrie’s leadership and modesty.
Meanwhile, Curry has expressed similar feelings about his head coach. During a podcast interview last season, Curry admitted that Kerr won him over when he became head coach in 2014 by being humble and stressed that he wanted to help improve the team.
The result was a dominant streak that few others had matched and an all-time great coach-player partnership.