LeBron James recalled Kevin Durant’s time with the Golden State Warriors after his first match against Jimmy Butler on the same team.
The Los Angeles Lakers had a big result for the Western rankings, missing the Golden State Warriors with a 116-123 loss at home. This was not a victory the Lakers could let go, but it was a tough night for Luka Donsic.
The Lakers and LeBron James have a victory that has sparked recent negative predictions from things like Stephen A. Smith. LeBron had to pull out all the stops of those victory, so he did so against the warriors as well. He scored 33 points on 10-15 shooting with nine assists, but the victory escaped.
LeBron still has the advantage over the Warriors over the Lakers tenure after this loss with an 11-7 record (4-2 in the playoffs and 1-0 in the play-in). However, he had some tough battles against the warriors over his career. He played in the NBA Finals four times in a row from 2015 to 2018, losing three of them.
Scale was tilted against his Cleveland Cavaliers as Kevin Durant joined the Warriors after the 2016 NBA Finals. With the Warriors getting caught up in the roster with Jimmy Butler, LeBron couldn’t help but think about his past.
The Warriors have a 19-2 record this season when Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry play. They quickly became almost invincible combos, bringing the best from everyone around them. Their seamless chemistry is reminiscent of the 2016-17 Warriors added Kevin Durant effortlessly to their roster.
LeBron recalled how easily he integrated Durant while talking to the media after his first match with the Warriors with Jimmy Butler.
“I’ve done some of their teams and changed the dynamics of their teams before. When they added Kevin Durant, I had to resist them. Jimmy Butler is great, he adds toughness, championship DNA type guys.
“But it’s always the same, they always understand it. They always add someone who makes them dynamic.”
Butler played a quiet box score game with 11 points and three steels. But anyone who has seen the game knows how shocking he is, especially defensive.
Curry’s 37-point performance was the biggest factor in this victory. However, the addition of Butler made the Warriors a much more adaptable and dangerous playoff team.
LeBron James has seen the Lakers struggle with his own midseason acquisition of superstars. Luka Doncic’s average of 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists are far more impressive than Butler’s 17.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists. However, there are significant differences in the impact of previous victory.
The Warriors are 20-4, Butler is in the rotation, and the Lakers are 14-9 with Donsic. The losses to the Warriors when LeBron and Austin Reeves are having a big night should not be accepted by the title candidates.
Coordinating Doncic is much more difficult than Coordinating Butler because of its different roles. Luka is a ball orchestrator who is expected to become the team’s main goals scorer and passerby. Butler is a secondary option that fills the gap and is an on-ball option with capabilities other than curry.
Their roles are different. One could not do the other. Ultimately, it’s about what all the wins will be. The Warriors are on the rise, but it’s likely that these teams will match up as 4-5 matchups in the first round of the playoffs.