A lot of casual NBA fans must be wondering why Andre Iguodala and not superstars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry were named as the 2015 NBA Finals MVP. This may have been a shock to many, but no-brainer for some hardcore basketball fans.
Former Team USA recruit has sacrificed a lot going into his first ever championship, which also ended the 40-year title drought for the Golden State franchise. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as 2004's 9th overall pick and played there for most of his career. Then, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2012 before moving to the Warriors in 2013.
Coming into this season, Iguodala had been included in the starting five for 758 consecutive times. However, since he played for rookie coach Steve Kerr he has been given a reserve role and never started.
Things changed in the Game 4 of the Finals where the California-side team battled to even the series, which was currently at 2-1 in favor of the Eastern champs. He started, replacing Andrew Bogut to defend LeBron in their small lineup.
Since then, the Warriors have not seen defeat. They've won three consecutive games, nabbing the much-coveted NBA title. His participation towards this achievement was tremendous that 7 out of 11 media members who voted for the prestigious Most Valuable Player of the Finals award saw him fitted for the recognition. It was even seconded by his teammates and Warriors coaching staff.
"He was great the entire series. But he saved this season for us," Draymond Green said. "I always say Andre's a pro's pro. He's a professional guy, and it showed, and that's why he's the MVP of this series, and that's why we're champions."
"He was one of the best players in the world and he would constantly be passing up shots because other guys were more open than him. It's refreshing to have players like Andre in the league. Being able to coach him is great." assistant coach Luke Walton said.
In his eleven years in the NBA, Iguodala has achieved a great feat of winning his first ever NBA championship along with his first Final MVP. Congratulations Iggy!
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