Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is looking forward to facing the Los Angeles Lakers in a marquee matchup this late in the season with so much at stake.
“It’s the challenge every time we play them,” Green told reporters. “Whenever you get the opportunity to play against Bron, it is always a battle amongst us. It’s been years.”
LeBron James and Green have a long history dating back to the Cleveland Cavaliers-Warriors championship battles.
Who could forget the Cavaliers’ improbable 1-3 comeback in the 2016 NBA Finals?
The Warriors’ downfall started with Green’s infamous suspension in Game 4 when he swiped at James’ groin while he was decked on the floor. James led the Cavaliers to a historic comeback and won the Cavaliers their first NBA championship.
But Green had James’ number as the Warriors beat him and his then Cavaliers 3-1 in their head-to-head Finals appearances. Their rivalry has turned in James’ favor since he left Cleveland for the second time in 2018.
James holds an 11-6 record against the Warriors since he joined the Lakers in the 2018-19 season. The Lakers eliminated the Warriors in the play-in tournament in 2021. Then they dispatched the Warriors again in six games in the 2023 Western Conference semifinals.
Off the court, Green and James have developed a strong bond through the years as co-clients of Klutch Sports, the powerful player agency headed by James’ longtime friend Rich Paul.
But on the court, their friendship takes a backseat, especially with their playoff bid on the line.
The Warriors and the Lakers will enter Thursday’s matchup on a winning streak.
Green and the Warriors (44-31) have won three straight games to climb to No. 5. James and the Lakers (46-29) are looking for their third straight victory to remain at No. 3.
A ‘Different’ Lakers Team
Aside from his on-court rivalry with James, Green is looking forward to the new challenge posed by a “different” Lakers team.
It will mark the first time Green and the Warriors will face Luka Dončić in a Lakers uniform. The last time these two teams met, the Lakers beat the Warriors 120-112 on Feb. 6 with Dončić still four days away from making his Lakers debut.
James scored a season-high 42 points in that game.
“Now you add Luka to that fold, it is different,” Green said of the new-look Lakers. “Dorian Finney-Smith‘s different. They’re playing great basketball. Austin Reeves is different. It’s not the same Austin Reeves we faced before.
“So playing really good basketball is always a challenge but we go in and play our brand of basketball, play our game. I like our chances.”
Dončić’s arrival has dramatically changed the Lakers, making their offense more dynamic. Finney-Smith was credited for the Lakers’ defensive turnaround but his 3-point shot is coming along. And Reaves is thriving as the Lakers’ third star, averaging 25.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds over his last 10 games.
The Luka Dončić and Jimmy Butler Effect
But the Lakers will also face a different Warriors team, rejuvenated by Jimmy Butler.
Both teams have benefited from the seismic trades they did at the deadline.
The Lakers are 14-8 with Dončić. The Warriors are a much better team with Butler. They have a 19-4 record with the six-time NBA All-Star in the lineup.
Butler has energized Stephen Curry, who is back to playing MVP level. Curry has just dropped 52 points in the Warriors’ latest win — a 134-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on the road.
On the other hand, Dončić has taken the pressure off James as the Lakers’ lead playmaker. The 40-year-old James has shifted to playing more in the frontcourt than at the backcourt.
With the Lakers embracing small-ball basketball since the departure of Anthony Davis in the Dončić trade, James and Green will shift their matchup from power forward to the center spot.
