James brings attention to Lakers, but says L.A. not on Golden State’s level
Last month at Lakers media day, every seat at LeBron James’ news conference was filled. More than 100 standing media members, voice recorders and iPhones in hand, were forced to crowd around the podium.
Those Instagrammers and tweeters were all in search of a sound bite, the type of quote that ensures instant clicks. What they got, however, was a circumspect James intent on putting his new team’s situation in perspective. Asked about a potential Lakers-Warriors rivalry, he said, “We’ve got a long way to go to get to Golden State.”
Though that is probably true, it won’t stop the league’s hype machine from trumpeting Los Angeles-Golden State as its next great heavyweight clash. And who can blame the NBA? This matchup boasts the three best players in the world, two major media markets, state bragging rights and enough story lines to pack an Alfred Hitchcock film.
The only question is whether it has enough competitive balance to be considered a true rivalry. In their two preseason games this week against the Lakers (Wednesday in Las Vegas and Friday in San Jose), the Warriors can begin to show just how big of a talent gap separates them from their neighbor less than 400 miles to the south.
However, it will be an imperfect litmus test, given that both teams are focused on getting ready for the season, not necessarily exerting all their powers.
Steve Kerr and Luke Walton are still easing their best players into regular-season workloads. Less than two weeks after meeting many of his new teammates, James is in the early stages of figuring out what he has with L.A. DeMarcus Cousins is out with a torn left Achilles tendon and Draymond Green (knee soreness) will sit Wednesday night for precautionary reasons.
“It’s kind of hard to talk about how both teams are good right now,” Green said. “I don’t think either one of us has proved that yet.”
As far as possible rivalries go, Lakers-Warriors is light on highlights.
In 1967, while still based in San Francisco, the Warriors swept Los Angeles in three games to reach the Western Conference finals. Ten years later, the Lakers escaped Golden State in a seven-game epic to move onto the Western Conference finals. In 1987, Sleepy Floyd led the Warriors to their only win over Los Angeles in the Western Conference semifinals, setting NBA postseason records for points in a quarter (29), field goals in a quarter (12) and points in a half (39).
The memorable moments largely stop there, and the reason is simple: The two franchises weren’t good at the same time.
As Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal helped make the Lakers near-perennial contenders in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Golden State was mired in irrelevance. Over the past five years, as the Warriors have charted a dynastic course, Los Angeles has gone a combined 126-284.
Now, 27 years since the Lakers and Warriors last met in the playoffs, James — Golden State’s single biggest nemesis — will try to awaken a long-dormant rivalry. To make that happen, he’ll need to do what he did last season in Cleveland: make sure that a flawed roster overachieves.
With a supporting cast of journeymen and unproven youngsters, James isn’t even a lock for the playoffs in his first season in Los Angeles, much less a Western Conference finals matchup with the backto-back NBA champions.
The Lakers’ only traditional big men are ex-Warrior JaVale McGee, Ivica Zubac and rookie Moritz Wagner, who will miss the entire preseason with a knee injury. A roster featuring James, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley seems tailor-made for drama. It also doesn’t help that, outside of perhaps James, Los Angeles doesn’t have a reliable defender.
However, the Lakers’ biggest asset — James, of course — should not be underestimated. This is a man who hasn’t missed the NBA Finals since 2010.
“I expect them, yeah, absolutely to be in playoff contention,” said Warriors guard Klay Thompson, whose father, Mychal, won two NBA titles with the “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s. “But championship contention? I’m not sure. You’ve got to wait and see for that. That takes a lot of work.”
It was no surprise that the NBA scheduled Lakers-Warriors as the marquee game on its Christmas Day and MLK Jr. Day showcases. Regardless of how many games Los Angeles wins this season, James will make it must-watch TV.
However, rivalries are not measured in the number of celebrities in attendance or reporters at postgame news conferences. James knows this, which is why he has seized every opportunity to dampen the enthusiasm surrounding the Lakers-Warriors matchups.
“We’re picking up from scratch, so we can’t worry about what Golden State is doing,” James said at media day. “They’re the champions.”