The NBA needed to bring some heat on Christmas Day having to compete with the NFL having two games to help decide playoff factors.
One of the top games of the night featured the Los Angeles Lakers going on the road to take on the Golden State Warriors. Lakers star LeBron James and Warriors star Steph Curry traded blows in a shootout, but it was Lakers guard Austin Reaves who took the winning shot for the Lakers 115-113.
This game just adds to the multiple thrilling matchups that James and Curry have created as opponents. It also brings up the conversation of the rivalry between James and Curry.
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
James and Curry might not be considered the best rivalry
When discussing some of the top rivalries in the NBA, many come to mind. James and Curry have met multiple times in the NBA Finals, dating back to when James played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Christmas Day was another example of the great battle in which the two players dueled out on the hardwood. James and Curry combined for 69 points shooting 26-of-46 in field goals and 16 assists.
Some people give into the recency bias and proclaimed the rivalry between James and Curry the greatest rivalry of all time. ESPN insider Bobby Marks had his reason for why James vs. Curry isn’t the top rivalry or doesn’t even crack the top.
He told First Take: “I think when I hear the word rivalry, I hear the word dislike. I see two players that genuinely like each other, certainly off the court and on the court here. I’m going to go all the way back to those Magic-Bird teams, Lakers-Celtics teams.
“I’m even going to throw out Knicks-Bulls, Ewing-Jordan. Those are the teams that dislike each other. I just don’t see that here even with LeBron in Cleveland and now with the Lakers here. I just don’t see that dislike on the court here.”
“Remember, out of all the games they played on Christmas, this is the only second that’s been competitive in those games here. For me, it’s not, it’s going back to the 80s with that Celtics-Lakers and certainly as I said that Knicks-Bulls rivalry that we saw.”
Too much love in this rivalry
While the rivalry between James and Curry is fun to watch, Marks says it shouldn’t crack the top candidates based on their respect and brotherly love for each other. Both players are consistently supporting each other even though the Lakers and the Warriors are divisional rivalries.
The Lakers and the Celtics are not even in the same conference and fans hate each other more to this day. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were players who were always going for each other’s throats. To this day, the Knicks and Bulls fans hate each other because of the rivalry between Patrick Ewing and Michael Jordan.
The rivalry between James and Curry has been watered down as large media outlets constantly talk about how they would match up on the same team rather than facing each other. The rivalry loses serious steam when there is strong support and talks of constant team-ups.
Modern rivalries like Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young and the New York Knicks, Paul George vs. Devin Booker or Luka Doncic vs Terance Mann are real rivalries based on their hatred for each other. James and Curry are fun to watch, but there is no dislike.
