Former Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza told Andre Iguodala that he was a big reason why the Rockets couldn’t get past Golden State in the playoffs during the Warriors’ five straight NBA Finals appearances.
Iguodala, who won the NBA Finals MVP award in 2015, said that he thought guard Stephen Curry should have won Finals MVP that season. However, Ariza ended up giving the longtime Warriors wing props for his play.
Iguodala revealed what Ariza told him on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast.
“I don’t even care, yeah, Steph shoulda had mine,” Iguodala said of his Finals MVP. “I don’t really care. I think Steph shoulda had it. But then I’m talking to Trevor Ariza, and he is like, ‘Bro, you buggin’. Don’t ever say that ever again.’
“And once Trevor said that to me — he kind of checked me — he was like, ‘Yo, dog, we were in Houston, and we knew if you played well, y’all were gon’ beat us.’”
Iguodala was certainly an impact player for the Warriors on both ends of the floor, and he had the ability to change the game if he scored at a high level since Curry and Klay Thompson both also filled up the scoring column.
In the playoffs from the 2014-15 season through the 2018-19 season, Iguodala averaged 9.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field. His role certainly diminished when the team added Kevin Durant, but in the 2014-15 season, Iguodala averaged 10.4 points per game in the playoffs.
“When Trevor said that, he was like, ‘Dre, I’m in Houston, and we can’t get past y’all ’cause you,’” Iguodala said.
“I’m like, ‘Man, Steph was cooking.’ He was like, ‘No bro, if you’re having a good game, we can’t win.’”
Iguodala certainly had his fair share of solid games against Houston in the playoffs during Golden State’s five consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
In the 2015-16 season, Iguodala scored 18 points in Game 2 of the first round against Houston. Later on in that series, he scored 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field in Game 4 to give Golden State a 3-1 series lead.
Iguodala’s big games may not have come as often as 20-point nights from Curry and Thompson, but it appears that Ariza and the Rockets looked at Iguodala’s best nights as backbreakers for them in the playoffs.
A four-time champion and one-time Finals MVP, Iguodala certainly has a lot to be proud of in his NBA career, and Ariza gave him the props that he deserves for helping the Warriors win multiple titles.
