The Golden State Warriors want to push for a championship right away to ensure that the Warriors core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green can win a fifth title before LeBron James. This was said by Warriors owner Joe Lacob to Mercury News.
“I don’t think people understand how important this is because these guys are getting a little older; we’ve got a window here. We’ve got to try to win another title, and I really badly, really badly want to see Steph and our guys, Klay and Draymond, get another one. LeBron (James) has four, and they’ve got four. Let’s get five. Let’s beat him to five.”
To openly say you want to beat LeBron’s ring count shows how much the Lakers’ star has pushed the Warriors to be the juggernaut they are today. They won three of their four titles by beating LeBron and that trio will always be compared with James for the iconic Finals rivalry they had during LeBron’s time on the Cavaliers.
The Warriors are 3-2 in the playoffs against James, the first loss coming in the 2016 Finals and the second one coming in the 2023 Playoffs during the second round.
Klay Thompson Admitted That Losing To The Lakers Stung
The 2023 Playoffs saw the Lakers become the first Western Conference team to beat the Warriors in a playoff series since the 2014 Los Angeles Clippers. It was a nine-year win streak that ended at the hands of a familiar foe, the LeBron-led Lakers.
Klay Thompson openly admits that the loss to the Lakers stung the franchise badly.
“Stings bad. Bad. Because you want to win against a team that is a division rival, you want to beat your hometown, you want to beat your friends who are fans of the team, and you want to beat LeBron (James) obviously. We have such a deep history with him. Kudos to him. He’s still out here playing at the highest level he possibly can. So, yeah, it stings.”
Beating LeBron is a standard of success to this group, who had only faced him in do-or-die Finals situations before that. Unfortunately, they couldn’t do that last season even though James was struggling with a foot injury. That’s where Anthony Davis stepped in and locked the Warriors up almost single-handedly to ensure the Lakers advanced.
Thompson had a rough series against the Lakers, averaging 16.2 points on 34.3% shooting from the field. After a strong regular season, this performance could be what’s holding the Warriors back from meeting Klay’s demands for his contract extension.
Can The Warriors Outshine The Lakers?
The Warriors and Lakers will be closely matched in the West this year, with a lot of inter-division matchups and possibly another playoff showdown. Both teams are expected to be in the top six of the West and lock up a playoff spot, with some people favoring the Lakers as a deeper roster.
The Warriors have taken a big risk by acquiring Chris Paul, but it could work out well for the team. The lineups with Draymond Green out injured right now haven’t been the best, especially with Klay Thompson as the power forward. Regardless, they’ve won two preseason games against the Lakers and are projected to be a dangerous team in the West,
Neither the Warriors nor Lakers are favorites to even win their conference, slotting in behind the Nuggets and Suns. But if there are two teams that could go on a miracle run through the West for another title, it’s one of these two franchises.
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