It was a rivalry for the ages when Steph Curry and LeBron James faced off in Lakers vs. Warriors Game 1 and James decided to try out an intense defensive tactic on Curry.
LeBron was in full mind games mode when he followed Curry all the way back to the Warriors bench in the second quarter, when all Steph wanted was a bit of reprieve.
LeBron was seen having an animated talk with Curry and the Warriors staff and then he walked away laughing.
As a seasoned playoff pro, Steph didn’t seem too bothered by it and looked fairly locked in.
Steph talked about LeBron following him to the bench 😅 pic.twitter.com/m0cs7MQwY5
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 3, 2023
After the game, reporters asked Curry what the interaction was all about and the Warriors shooter explained LeBron was just having a bit of fun.
“Nah, he was just joking around about having to guard me all the way till I got to the bench,” Curry explained, but was clearly not in the mood to smile about it after a close 117-112 defeat.
Even though LeBron was seen to be joking around, he definitely would have been sending some kind of message to Steph.
Despite having the upper hand with a winning playoff record against LeBron (15-8), Curry explained that LeBron is a totally different player from when they faced off in the Finals years ago.
“You have to reflect on everything that we’ve all gone through since the ’15 Finals, and just appreciate the opportunity to have another chapter in that battle and that competition,” Curry said, via Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
“Obviously once the ball drops, it’s a different feel just based on how the Lakers play versus the old Cavs teams, and even just a different style that he’s playing a little bit. He’s trying to come at you a little differently and space you out a little bit. He’s shooting a lot more threes and stuff like that. It’s just a little different vibe.”
Curry will get a chance to get one back in Game 2 on Thursday, May 4th at 6:00PM ET when the Lakers play the Warriors on their home court.
Read more: Draymond Green Thinks LeBron’s New Role on Lakers is ‘Weird’