SAN FRANCISCO — The 2 greatest titans of the NBA’s twenty first Century are assembly for the fourth time on Christmas Day.
Given the purpose every of them are of their careers, it could possibly be one among, if not the final, time Steph Curry and LeBron James match up on the NBA’s signature common season day.
However till they retire, at any time when which may be, they’re nonetheless the primary points of interest.
“The same way that Magic and Larry in the 80s, MJ in the 90s, Kobe for a long time, (in some ways) they’ve carried the league,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick mentioned.
“Popularity, growth, all that stuff. They’ve had a big part in that. Certainly those consecutive Finals against each other really helped in that. I think overall, they’re different careers, different legacies, but to me, those guys — both of them — have a strong case if you want to have Mt. Rushmore of the greatest four NBA players of all time.”
James turns 40 on the finish of the month. Curry turns 37 in March. They’re every nonetheless able to taking on video games and charge very extremely in superior metrics like worth over alternative participant and field plus/minus.
However they’ve additionally proven indicators of decline. It might be really unbelievable in the event that they didn’t.
Previously week, Curry had two of his worst video games of his profession — a two-point dud towards Memphis and a 2-for-13 night time versus Indiana. He hasn’t had as a lot success shedding face-guards and double groups and seems much less inclined to drive to the basket at occasions.
Requested by ESPN’s Malika Andrews if he thinks about how for much longer he needs to play, Curry mentioned “more than I probably have before.”
“It’s okay to accept and acknowledge that the end is near at whatever point,” Curry mentioned. “But only because it allows you to enjoy what is happening right now. The more you talk about it, the more you acknowledge it, it levels up the sense of urgency of the moment now.”
James, in the meantime, has scored fewer than 20 factors in 11 of his 27 video games performed. The Lakers are curiously 9.3 factors per possession worse with him on the courtroom. Though he has ramped up his defensive depth to an incredible diploma lately, James isn’t practically the dominant defender he was once. Earlier this yr, he left the crew for eight days for a bodily and psychological refresh.
“Part of it is just Father Time,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr mentioned. “If you’re 40 or almost 37 in Steph’s case, it’s a lot harder — physically and emotionally — to face what those guys face night after night after night. There’s a reason players have to retire. They can’t do it forever.”
Each the Warriors and Lakers have struggled, floating to the thick of the Western Convention play-in image. They every in all probability want a serious commerce to vault again into the kind of postseason relevance Curry and James are accustomed to.
They’re nonetheless the league’s greatest attracts. Both Curry or James has led the NBA in jersey gross sales yearly for the reason that 2013-14 season. Nationally televised video games that includes both of them sometimes charge higher. Curry and James have mixed for 30 All-Star choices, eight championships and 6 MVP awards. Their legacies are signed, sealed and delivered even impartial of the ultimate chapters they write.
Whilst their private rivalry got here to a head with 4 straight Finals conferences from 2015 to 2018, Curry and James have at all times had mutual respect for one another. They teamed up for the primary time this summer season, once they led Staff USA to Olympic gold in France. Teaching them was one of many best thrills of Kerr’s teaching profession.
On Wednesday, when James emerged from the visiting tunnel for warmups, he playfully tried to dam a Curry observe shot earlier than the 2 embraced with a bear hug.
If it’s their final Christmas sharing a courtroom collectively, they’ll exit with a wham.
Initially Printed: December 25, 2024 at 4:54 PM PST
