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LeBron James battling Stephen Curry has been a television staple for the NBA for nearly a decade now. The two faced off in four straight NBA Finals from 2015-18. As such, they played four consecutive Christmas games in those years. They were pitted against each other on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2021 and then again nine months later for opening day. And sure enough, the NBA is turning to them for a marquee television game yet again this season.
The Golden State Warriors will host the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The Lakers and Warriors played on opening night a season ago, but that game, a Warriors win, was played in Los Angeles. This time, as the Warriors are the defending champions, they will start the season at home and receive their championship rings with the Lakers in attendance.
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As of right now, this game is a mismatch. The Warriors are the defending champions. The Lakers missed the postseason a year ago and have made no significant changes to their roster… yet. They are in pursuit of Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, an opponent the Warriors know well. He was the one who hit the series-winning shot that ended Golden State’s bid for consecutive championships in 2016. Whether Irving is available or not, the Lakers are still pursuing trades to move off of Russell Westbrook, their disappointing addition of a season ago.
Whether or not the Lakers are able to improve, James vs. Curry is the draw here. With both in their 30s, they don’t have too many battles left against one another. Each one should be cherished by the fans. Those who attend this one in San Francisco certainly will. They could ask for no better opponent after receiving their 2022 championship rings than the man they beat to win it all in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
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