2time MVP Curry is back
Rivalry renewed with James for top league honor
Before he brought the Cavaliers back from a 31 deficit in the 2016 Finals, before trading the hometownhero treatment of Cleveland for the glamour of Los Angeles, before lifting the Lakers to their first title in 10 years, LeBron James studied the Warriors late at night.
It was November 2015, and James — fresh off wasting a 30point, sixrebound gem in the Cavaliers’ loss at Detroit — seethed on his couch past 3 a.m. as he watched Golden State improve to 120 with a win over Toronto. That scene, shared in a Sports Illustrated cover story, preceded an ominous quote from James about speculation that Warriors guard Stephen Curry was eclipsing him as the world’s best player: “I see the guys who are barreling down. That locks me in even more.”
Little more than five years later, few still debate whether Curry is better than James. At
32, Curry is adjusting to an overhauled supporting cast, trying to exorcise the memory of an injurymarred season and struggling with defenses designed solely to limit him. Meanwhile, James, 36, remains at the peak of his powers as he leads the leaguebest Lakers into Monday night’s nationally televised game against the Warriors at Staples Center.
But if James has learned anything over the past seven years, it’s to not underestimate a babyfaced point guard whose greatness is rooted more in skill than physical dominance. In shepherding the Klay Thompsonless Warriors to a 66 record, Curry has showed flashes of his brilliance, including a careerhigh 62point outburst in a win over Portland and a 19point third quarter that propelled Golden State to a secondhalf comeback against the Clippers.
There is reason to believe that, once Curry gets comfortable with his new teammates and figures out the boxand1 defense more opponents are rolling out against him, he’ll ensure that the Warriors outpace expectations. If Curry can guide Golden State to even a topfive finish in the Western Conference standings, he’d cement himself a spot alongside James in the MVP conversation.
That wouldn’t allow Curry to supplant James in most people’s minds as the generation’s greatest player, but it would help jolt a onceenticing individual rivalry back to life. For a halfdecade or so, James subtly — and, at times, not so subtly — jabbed Curry through the media, which reinforced the belief that he viewed Curry as a threat to his status as the NBA’s top player.
When asked before the 2016 Finals about the significance of his matchups with Curry, James downplayed rivalry chatter, saying: “When you talk about rivalries, you talk about CarolinaDuke, you talk about Ohio StateMichigan. It’s hard to say LeBron and Steph. If there’s a smaller scale or another word for a rival.”
But judging by James’ tone, it was fair to assume he was trying only to avoid giving the Warriors a controversial sound bite. Weeks later, after the Cavaliers became the first team to overcome a 31 Finals deficit, James asserted that his performance on that stage and against a player of Curry’s caliber solidified him as the No. 1 player in NBA history.
Such discussions are of little interest to Curry, the rare superstar who doesn’t let his perceived place among alltime greats fuel his work habits. Unlike former teammate Kevin Durant, whose desire to be considered better than James was perhaps the biggest reason he left the Warriors in summer
2019 to sign with the Nets, Curry recognizes that he has no control over how his career is measured.
“I don’t think that matters to him,” Golden State assistant coach Bruce Fraser said of how Curry is compared to James. “That’s a subjective argument that he may never win. His hope is that he would be remembered as a great human being and a really good basketball player.”
More than trying to outdo James, Curry is attempting to emulate him. Much has been made of the fact that Curry would like to play until he’s 40. To achieve that goal, he has looked into how James takes care of his body.
Little more than two weeks after his 36th birthday, James is an early frontrunner for his fifth career MVP award and first since 2013. The Lakers outscore opponents by 14.5 points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor and just 2.0 when he’s off it. Though most of his numbers are down from last season, James still averages 24.1 points on 48.6% shooting (38.2% from 3point range), 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists on a loaded roster.
Those close to Curry believe he can follow a similar trajectory. At a phase of his career when most players are declining, Curry is getting physically stronger. His scores in a number of musclebuilding exercises this past offseason set personal records. During postpractice shooting drills last month in Chicago, Curry hit 105 consecutive 3point tries, shattering his previous best streak of 77.
“LeBron’s a great model to
have in terms of longevity,” Curry said. “He’s definitely pushing the envelope in terms of what he’s doing at his age. It’s pretty awesome to watch as a competitor knowing what he’s got left in the tank at this level.”
Those are hardly the words of someone speaking about his sworn enemy. But not all rivalries have to be defined by shared animosity, and few can deny that James’ greatness has been a positive motivator for Curry.
After practice Sunday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr drew parallels between what James is doing with these Lakers and what Curry accomplished with the 201516 team that won a leaguerecord 73 games. Both clubs, though emboldened by a recent championship, had yet to feel the mental toll that multiple titles bring.
Now, Curry is in a similar position to the one James was in when he watched that Warriors win in November 2015 until 3 a.m.: the unquestioned leader of a flawed roster desperate to overachieve.
“When it comes to him, the sky will always be the limit,” forward Kent Bazemore said of Curry, who ranked third in the NBA in scoring (28.4 points per game), seventh in freethrow percentage (93.4%) and tied for 15th in assists (6.2 per game) through Saturday. “He takes the same approach every day, and he’s always willing to get better.”