Under one minute to go. Game three of the NBA Finals. Kevin Durant handling the ball in the slot on the left side. He pulls up and hits a dagger three-pointer to seal a victory in the game.
2017? Or 2018?
The answer is now both after what Durant just did in 2018. The Warriors got a stop with just under a minute to go, and Kevin Durant was handling the ball with a 103-100 lead. Golden State set up a pick-and-roll with Durant and Andre Iguodala from nearly 35 feet out. With the shot clock winding down as the Warriors attempted to kill the clock, Durant pulled up from the parking lot. With the game’s result still hanging in the balance, Durant canned a clutch bomb for the second year in a row:
Oh, and look, he stared down the Cavaliers bench.
That bucket gave KD 43 points and gave the Warriors a win, and now Golden State has a 3-0 series lead. Durant was spectacular in this game, posting a final stat line of 43 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. He did that while shooting 65.2 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from deep, and the Warriors were a +15 when Durant was on the court. Durant was simply unbelievable in this game, and this dagger was icing on the cake.
This game shifted the optics of the Finals MVP discussion. While it seemed like Stephen Curry was going to be the frontrunner for the award going into this game, Duran’ts incredible game and clutch performance gives him a solid chance to win the award. KD and Curry will possibly be competing for the award in Game Four as the Warriors look to go for the sweep against LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
