First, Kimmo Timonen. Now, Andre Iguodala.
One day after Timonen capped off his 16-year career by winning a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks, Iguodala helped the Golden State Warriors claim the NBA's Larry O'Brien trophy (see game recap).
The one big difference is that while the former Flyer Timonen played a minimal role in the Hawks' title, Iguodala was a major factor for the Warriors. So much in fact, that the 11-year vet and former Sixer was named MVP of the series.
Yes, Andre Iguodala is your NBA Finals MVP.
“I’ve been preparing for this moment for 11 years now,” Iguodala said, via ProBasketballTalk.
Iguodala averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists for the series, all while playing tough defense on Cleveland's LeBron James.
"Exhausting," Iguodala said, via CSNBayArea.com, when asked what it was like guarding James while still contributing offensively. "Exhausting. More mentally than anything. ... Mentally just thinking about it every single day. ... I had no nap today. Usually I get a nap. I couldn't sleep because I just kept thinking about the game, and what do I need to do to win, how to guard LeBron."
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Iguodala, who became the first player in league history to win the award after not starting every game in the series, scored 25 points to go along with five boards and five assists in the Game 6 clincher.
“Guarding LeBron James has to be the hardest job in basketball,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “So after the first three games we decided to start Andre because he was doing by far the best job on LeBron. But he was also contributing in so many other ways. Offensively, their plan was to take Steph away, take Klay away, and force Draymond and Andre to beat them, and Andre did. He hit three more threes tonight. 25 points.”
Iguodala hardly stopped James, who received four MVP votes to Iguodala's seven (and Curry didn't receive any) after finishing an outstanding series with 32 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, but he made him work.
"It's never one‑on‑one," James said, via Cleveland.com. "It's not — this isn't Bird versus Magic or that old video game, Jordan versus Bird, or whatever the case may be. ... But I think his ability to play multiple positions for their team along with some of those other guys allowed their team to be so dynamic.
"He played great, especially offensively. He made us defend him. He knocked down open shots. ... He made us pay. He made us pay tonight with big shots, timely shots, getting out on the break, getting rebounds, getting assists."
After starting 758 straight games in his career, Iguodala was moved to a reserve role this season under rookie head coach Steve Kerr. However, Iguodala's defense on James in the series forced Kerr to move the forward into the starting lineup after Game 3, and it paid big dividends as the Warriors never lost again.
"He was great the entire series, but he saved this season for us," Warriors forward Draymond Green told The Associated Press. "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."
Much maligned for being paid like a top-notch star and not performing like one during his eight seasons in Philadelphia, Iguodala was shipped to Denver as a part of the Andrew Bynum trade following the 2011-12 campaign.
Iguodala played one season with the Nuggets before making a decision as a free agent to bolt to the Warriors. That move has proven to be extremely wise for the 31-year-old, as he has flourished in a more natural secondary role alongside a backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and the versatile Green.
"I'm not surprised (to win the award), because I'm that confident in my game," Iguodala said. "I would have bet on Steph. I would have bet on Draymond. Draymond's been great for us all year. ... Those two guys I would have bet on. I was just happy we're winning the ring. I didn't really care about anything else. This is just a plus."
With those players creating opportunities for him, Iguodala could continue to add to a résumé that now includes All-Star, Olympic gold medalist, NBA champion and Finals MVP.
“You could make an argument that it could have gone to Steph, it could have gone to LeBron,” Kerr said. “But for us, it’s really fitting that the award went to Andre because he sacrificed his starting role from the first game of the season. He had never come off the bench once in his entire career, and he sacrificed that job to make Harrison better, to make our bench better, and that set the tone for our whole season.
"An All-Star, an Olympian, saying, ‘OK, I’ll come off the bench.’ It set the tone for everything we were able to accomplish, so it feels like full-circle to me that Andre received the award. Couldn’t happen to a better person.”