Los Angeles Lakers news: We had our latest iteration of the LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry rivalry on Tuesday night as the Lakers hosted the Golden State Warriors at the Crypto.com Arena.
It was a crucial battle as both sides battle for final positioning in the West heading into the Play-In Tournament. Ultimately, it was Curry and Co. who reigned supreme, 134-120, against a Lakers side that did not have the services of Anthony Davis.
Los Angeles Lakers News: LeBron James Gets Brutally Honest on Stephen Curry ‘Problem’
LeBron did suit up on Tuesday despite dealing with flu-like symptoms. He did all he could to carry the Lakers, which also included attempting to hold down the greatest shooter of all time.
In the end, Curry was still able to score 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting and a perfect 6-of-6 from beyond the arc. For his part, James tried to shed light on what makes Steph such a threat on the basketball court.
“I didn’t f***ing look at the ball the whole time,” LeBron said of guarding Steph in a recent episode of the Mind the Game podcast (h/t Joey Mistretta of ClutchPoints). “And I know that goes against every coach… ‘See the ball, the ball is the problem.’ The ball is not the problem with Steph Curry. He’s the f***ing problem.
“Steph is most dangerous when he doesn’t have the ball… It’s not many guys all-time in our league that is most dangerous without the ball. I’m telling them, listen guys. I’ve been in more than enough wars with those guys. More than enough. I understand it… I’m coming from a different point of view.
“But when Steph decides to cut inside the lane, don’t relax. He’s coming back up… That’s reps, and reps, and reps, and reps of actually guarding something that’s uncomfortable. Guarding Steph is uncomfortable.
“And the problem with our guys in our league, they’re not comfortable with being uncomfortable. And that’s why Steph and Golden State will always be relevant because they play an uncomfortable style of play.”
LeBron is the proud owner of one of the greatest minds in the history of the sport, so for him to speak so highly of Curry here is definitely worth noting. This statement from James gives as much insight into Steph’s game as it does into the inner workings of the mind of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
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