Lakers, Warriors Ready to Renew a Familiar Yet Fresh-Feeling Rivalry

LeBron James has faced off against Steph Curry and Co. in four Finals matchups, but this playoff series feels unique for a few reasons.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — As LeBron James and Stephen Curry prepare to renew a longstanding rivalry, Lakers coach Darvin Ham emphasized Monday just how special that rivalry is.

“It's the best rivalry of this generation,” Ham said. “LeBron, what he was able to do, [going] to [eight] straight Finals and obviously Steph and those guys, what they were able to do with those four championships. That's the rivalry. Rivalry of the generations, particularly those two players.”

This will be the fifth time Curry and James have tangled in the playoffs and the first since James signed with the Lakers. In 2015, the Warriors faced the Cavaliers, then led by James, for the first of four consecutive Finals matchups. Golden State won three of them. In 2016, James’s Cavs overcame a 3–1 deficit to upend the Warriors, tarnishing Golden State’s 73-win season and delivering Cleveland its first NBA championship.

On Monday, James expressed deep respect for Curry’s accomplishments.

“He puts in the work,” James said. “And, you know when you put in the work, nine times out of 10, you're going to see results. And he's done that through his entire career. And nothing but the utmost respect, you know for Steph and everything he's been able to accomplish. Not only on the floor, but also off the floor, too. It's great to have people like that in this league, setting an example for the generation to come.”

Steph Curry, right, holds a 25–18 advantage over LeBron James in their career matchups, including a 15–7 record in the playoffs :: Kiyoshi Mio/USA TODAY Sports

While James, 38, and Curry, 35, are on the backside of their careers, both continue to perform at a high level. James averaged 22.2 points and 11.2 rebounds in the Lakers’ first-round series against Memphis. In the Game 6 clincher, James shot 69.2% from the floor. Curry averaged 33.7 points in the Warriors’ series against the Kings, setting an NBA record with 50 points in Golden State’s Game 7 win.

“It's two of the most competitive players that have ever played this game,” James said. “And we want to etch our name in the history books as much as we can. You know, both playing, doing it our own way. Like I said, I've got nothing but the greatest admiration and great respect for Steph.”

The series will also renew a rivalry between James and Draymond Green. In 2016, Green punched James in the groin during Game 4 of the Finals. The NBA, after upgrading Green’s foul to a flagrant, suspended Green for Game 5. The Cavaliers went on to win Game 5 without Green, the first of three straight to win the series. James and Green have grown closer in recent years, even announcing plans to purchase a Major League Pickleball team together last fall.

That friendship, James said, won’t dull the competitiveness between the two in this series.

“The advantage when you've played this game so long, you have a great relationship and lives off the floor that people don't want to understand,” James said. “That doesn't stop us from going out and competing at a high level and wanting the other to not be successful when we go up against each other. But when we're not playing each other, we support each other. Both on and off the floor. And our families are very close, and when it comes to that we don't really care what nobody says about our relationship. It's pretty stupid to be honest. But we're fierce competitors and everyone knows it.”

The Lakers went 3–1 against the Warriors this season, with all three L.A. wins coming after the trade deadline. But James didn’t play in two of those games due to injury. Curry and Andrew Wiggins also missed two. There’s plenty of familiarity between the Lakers and Warriors but a fresh feel to this latest showdown.

“You've got to be super-duper locked in,” James said. “You can't make a mistake. You just can't. They make you pay. It's literally that simple.”