They are two of the defining players of the era. LeBron James and Stephen Curry will meet in the playoffs for the fifth time, when the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors in a best-of-seven western conference semifinals matchup. Hoops fans rejoice as we get to witness two of the all-time greats, still playing elite basketball, going head to head.
Bron And Steph Have The Hardware
Between them they have: 28 All-Star appearances, 26 All-NBA selections, eight NBA titles, six MVPs, six All-Defense (all Bron) and five Finals MVPs. There are countless other accolades but we don’t have time to get into all that.
Simply put, they are incredible. Bron is arguably the greatest player of all time and Steph is top-10?
Where you choose to rank them is actually pointless. If you were to start a team and take either of these players in their primes you are winning a lot of basketball games.
What makes this series special is that it’s the fifth and likely final time we’ll see these players go head to head.
Steph Owns The Head-To-Head Matchup
Steph owns the head-to-head series matchup 4-1 and the games played 15-7. But during those 22 games Bron has been the superior player even as he unfortunately ran into a superior team.
“Just two of the most competitive players that have ever played this game,” James said of the dynamic between him and Curry at Lakers practice on Monday. “And we want to etch our names in the history books as much as we can. But playing and doing it our own way.”
The Warriors have been a particular thorn in LeBron’s side, particularly in the postseason.
Epic Finals
In 2015 the Warriors won their first title defeating Bron and the Cleveland Cavaliers who were missing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
When they faced off again in 2016 the Warriors won 73 regular season games and held a 3-1 Finals lead, looking to become the greatest team of all time. Bron and the Cavs staged the greatest comeback in Finals history. A series that still haunts the Warriors to this day.
In 2017 and 2018 the other top player of the era, Kevin Durant, joined the Warriors and they defeated Bron and the Cavaliers in five games both times.
Curry won his fourth title last season to pull even with Bron, though he likely won’t match Bron’s 10 Finals appearances. The winner of this series has a chance to one-up the other and win his fifth title, alhough it’s unlikely either flawed team will be able to win the West and defeat the Eastern Conference champion.
Bron has been the league’s standard-bearer of excellence for nearly 15 years. Curry redefined the geometry of the court with his elite shooting on volume and how to be the leader of a dynasty. Their names and accomplishments are already immortalized.
Both Bron and Steph are the ultimate competitors and will desperately want to win this series. But what will it ultimately do for the either?
Given their track records and impressive accomplishments, what more could they do to change your opinion of them?
These are two of the all-time greats to ever pick up a basketball. GOAT, top-5, top-10, what does it matter?
Enjoy greatness, because it will be gone before too long.
