SAN FRANCISCO — Steph Curry was just walking from the scorer’s table to the bench along the sideline at Chase Center trying to mind his business, but he had a 6-foot-9, 250-pound shadow following him.
Midway through the second quarter of Tuesday’s Warriors-Lakers Game 1 in the second round of the playoffs, Curry got subbed out, but LeBron James didn’t stop guarding him. All those years haven’t done anything to dim the rivalry.
“He was just joking around about having to guard me all the way 'til I got to the bench,” Curry said.
lebron follows steph back to the bench, what is even happening here pic.twitter.com/GqcIN5raPz
— Grant Marek (@Grant_Marek) May 3, 2023
Even though LeBron and the Lakers got the 117-112 win after shutting down the Warriors offense down the stretch, Curry was in an appreciative mood after dueling James for the 23rd time in the playoffs.
“You have to reflect on everything that we've all gone through since the '15 Finals,” Curry said, “and just appreciate the opportunity to have another chapter in that battle and that competition.”
At another point early in the game, the two future Hall of Famers shared a laugh at the scorer’s table while waiting to check in. The mutual respect is easy to see.
From 2015-18, the NBA Finals turned into an annual clash between the Curry’s Warriors and LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers. Tuesday’s game didn’t carry the same weight, but the two legends appreciated the moment.
LeBron is 38 and in Year 20. Steph is 33 in Year 14. For all we know, this will be the last time we see the two living legends go head-to-head in the postseason.
On Tuesday night, LeBron scored 22 points on 9-of-24 shooting while being guarded by Andrew Wiggins for the majority of the night, chipping in 11 rebounds and five assists. Curry went 10-of-24 from the field and 6-of-13 from 3-point land en route to a team-high 27 points. His game-tying 3-pointer with 1:38 left ended up being the final Warriors’ points of the game.
James’ game has changed a bit since the 2018 Finals. He might not fly as high as he once did and he might shoot more than the old days. But the challenge remains the same.
“Obviously once the ball drops, it's a different feel just based on how the Lakers play versus the old Cavs teams, and even just a different style that he's playing a little bit,” Curry said. “He's trying to come at you a little differently and space you out a little bit. He's shooting a lot more threes and stuff like that; it's just a little different vibe.
“But there is a reflection of how awesome and special this battle is; and the fact that we get to do it again, you know, we want to come out on top and it's going to be a fun series all the way around. But there is a moment of reflection, for sure, just how cool this is, all these years later.”
