Los Angeles Lakers will face the Golden State Warriors in a second-round series on Tuesday, with superstar LeBron James aware of the threat Stephen Curry poses with his shooting ability. Curry led the Warriors to a win over the Sacramento Kings in game seven of their first-round series with an NBA record of 50 points scored. James and Curry’s rivalry has seen six postseason meetings, with the Warriors beating James’ teams three times in the NBA Finals. James and the Lakers beat the Warriors in the play-in tournament earlier this year.
The Lakers are the No.7 seed, whereas Golden State are the defending champions seeded No.6 in the Western Conference. While the Lakers won the season series 3-1 against Golden State with their recent meeting having taken place in March, both James and Curry missed two of the three games in February and March respectively. Tactically, the game could be won through the performances of Anthony Davis for the Lakers and Kevon Looney for the Warriors, who both play in the paint and will likely be integral to their team’s success.
The matchup between James and Curry will be one to watch, with Lakers coach Darvin Ham calling it “the best rivalry of this generation.” James is a four-time champion and MVP who is the league’s all-time leading scorer, while Curry is a four-time champion, two-time MVP who holds the record for most 3-pointers made in the league’s history. While James has respect for Curry and what he has achieved in his career, the Lakers will need to find a way to stop the Warriors’ long-range shooting to have any chance of progressing in the playoffs.
