Lately, he’s been planting himself outside the 3-point line. James has the strength advantage, but how often will he go in that direction? But doing it for 40 minutes? We don’t know if he’s capable, largely because the Grizzlies didn’t force James to go to that space more than once.Īndrew Wiggins will certainly spend plenty of time on him and even though he didn’t shoot well in Game 7, he’s gaining his legs again after missing so much time dealing with a personal issue. Will this be a LeBron series, first and foremost? It feels like worlds ago, but James is still working off that tendon injury in his foot that caused so much missed time in the regular season before he returned to a whole new Lakers team and a renewed sense of energy.Īs great as he’s been historically - and certainly Game 4’s 20-20 performance against Memphis served as proof - he can still rev it up on occasion. What will the Warriors do with LeBron James? That could mean he’s more due for efficient explosions. Sacramento’s Davion Mitchell seemed to give him the most trouble - trouble being relative compared to everyone else on the roster, but Curry felt more comfortable after the first two games.ĭespite the 50-ball, Curry didn’t exactly light the world afire from 3 in the first round, shooting 38%. And Curry seems better equipped for physicality. There’s no Kyrie Irving to occupy Curry on the other end, most importantly. Not only is Curry a different player - stronger, more durable and healthy - but these Lakers don’t have the personnel of those Cleveland Cavaliers. It worked in 2016 when Curry was hobbled coming into it and they kept him busy for 40 minutes. During earlier Steph/LeBron tilts, the book on Curry was to use physicality to wear him down through the course of a game, or a series. He plays about 30 minutes a night, which means Dennis Schröder and Austin Reaves will likely spend a decent amount of time shadowing Curry. It seems like a certainty Russell will only spend so much time on Curry. Golden State will try to do things to get Davis out of the paint, but it’ll be a cat-and-mouse game from the onset.īut Curry may not require ball screens from bigs to get going. It won’t be the layup drill Curry put on in Game 6 where he was pulling his best Harlem Globetrotters act against a thin Kings interior. The strength in the Lakers defense is on the interior with Anthony Davis, and although he didn’t have to play up to the level of ball screens against Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, he’s capable of doing so and negotiating the space with Curry.Īnd he’ll be waiting at the rim on Curry drives. Russell’s best defense against Curry could be his offense, perhaps making him work on the other end and hoping to drain him a bit. All those screens and off-ball actions are bound to confuse good perimeter defenders, let alone someone not as inclined as Russell. Putting D’Angelo Russell on Stephen Curry feels like a recipe for disaster. It’ll be a tougher adjustment coming into this series - honestly for both teams, but maybe the Lakers more than Golden State. Pray to the almighty or whatever higher power they serve because it might be tough sledding for the Lakers. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) 3 keys to the series What can and what will the Lakers do with Stephen Curry? Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will face off in the postseason yet again in a highly anticipated matchup. This season, 37 years-old LeBron James has averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 56 games, while 34 years-old Curry scored 25.8 points, dished 6.4 assists, and grabbed 5.2 boards over 59 duels. With three games left in the NBA regular season, the Lakers (31-48) are already eliminated from playoff contention, while the Warriors (50-29) are third in the Western Conference and are potential contenders for the ring. I do not know if that counts, but I'm fine now." You might want to guard him when he gets out of the bed ," LeBron said initially.įor his part, Curry replied ironically: "He chose me in the last two All-Star Games. Soon as he gets out of his car, you better guard his ass. "When Steph gets out of his car, you better guard him right from the moment he pulls up to the arena. Steph Curry is the other one I definitely want to play with in today's NBA. The King who saw the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated from the play-in tournament in one of the biggest failures in NBA history, adored Curry, showing how much he wants to become his teammate at some point. LeBron James and Steph Curry were constantly in the NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018, where the Golden State Warriors leader celebrated 3 championships, while LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers won the only one in 2016.
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