LeBron vs Steph: The most underrated rivalry in basketball history
The game of basketball lends itself to some great heated matchups between individuals. Unlike some other sports, those in the field of play never stop interacting. Patrick Mahomes vs Josh Allen is a perennial, signature rivalry even though they never take the field concurrently. In addition, two opposing stars can single handedly take over a basketball game, which makes their teams facing off more impactful. In fact, it was a personal rivalry that actually saved the NBA in the ‘80s when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird battled over the NCAA Championship in college and over the NBA championship on multiple occasions.
Besides that, past feuds like Bill Russell against Wilt Chamberlain or current games with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook give fans of neither team a reason to tune in. However, you don’t see the level of hatred like you used to in the NBA. This has to do largely in part to ring chasing culture, as well as load management from stars. Stars used to circle their calendars for upcoming games against other stars. Now it is frequent for players to throw a game if they have played a physical game recently and are up for another long night against a guy of their caliber. So why do I bring up rivalries if they aren’t as relevant anymore? Because while there might not be an abundance of them, there is a story of two western conference foes with an amazing story unfolding right in front of our eyes that is not talked about nearly enough: LeBron James against Stephen Curry.
When I turned on TNT last night, I began questioning why a Lakers- Warriors contest with huge playoff implications was not advertised more. And not only because the winner would have full control of the nine seed, but because ever since LeBron joined the Pacific Division out west, he and the Warriors MVP have not stopped producing memorable matchups. Think about some of the best singular playoff games ever while considering the moment. LeBron vs Steph in the play-in game in 2021 is probably the best game in that format’s four year history. If game seven of the 2016 Finals isn’t the best Finals game ever it is certainly close. Additionally, the Cavs beating the Warriors on December 25, 2016 might have been the NBA’s finest installment of Christmas day games. You could argue the two have had one of the most underrated rivalries in sports history.
So why isn’t it talked about more? When LeBron and the Cavaliers faced Steph and the Warriors in the Finals in 2015 and 2016, it lit the basketball world on fire. By the time the third round rolled around the following year, it felt a little played out. In 2018, when the Warriors finally went back to back it was unbearable. LeBron had very little help while Curry had All- NBA talent around him. Moreover, we have been programmed to believe each regular season game doesn’t matter in and of itself, which has let people miss some great back and forths between the two future hall- of- farmers. LeBron has multiple game winning plays over Steph and the Warriors, some on Curry’s home court. Steph’s 46 points in a OT losing effort against the Lebron- led Lakers at the beginning of the calendar year contributed to what could be the most memorable game of this year’s regular season. Additionally, you have to look at an NBA fans’ psyche to determine why we overlook LeBron’s current nemesis. The basketball community is way more focused on comparing The King to Michael Jordan, rather than looking at his career against a great who plays at the same time as him. Although we will always be discussing Jordan and LeBron endlessly, we don’t talk enough about how LeBron has played multiple seasons where Steph was the better player in that set of 82 games. Besides just the playoff resume Steph Curry has against LeBron, he has proven himself as all- time great without even mentioning LeBron’s name.
On a side note, you never really see a player get under Steph Curry’s skin like LeBron. He gets competitive with other stars and can be chippy with referees, but no one gets him higher or lower emotionally than the g.o.a.t. The same can be said for LeBron, who has lost his cool in high- stakes games against the three- point king.
As, it stands right now the Warriors would host Los Angeles for a shot at the eight seed from the play-in tournament. While the two squads are not at the top of the NBA together, there are not many playoff or play- in games that will be as close as Lakers and Warriors if they do end up as the nine and ten seeds. This accounts for matchup history, as the two California teams had that great play-in game that saw LeBron hit a clutch three for a Laker win three years ago, as well as a great second round playoff series last year. The two great organizations know each other well, and will have both of their two franchise cornerstones show up to any occasion.