LeBron James continues to defy his age, proving he will still be a threat to the Golden State Warriors’ title hopes next season.
LeBron James delivered a strong performance to kick off the NBA’s restart, sending a statement to the league’s elites that he is still a force to be reckoned with. The Golden State Warriors are quite familiar with James and it seems their battles with the King might not be over yet.
Even at 35 years of age, James continues to be a wrecking ball. Though he shot a poor 6-of-19 in his first game back, he did deliver the game-winning shot over the LA Clippers, as well as bone-wrenching defense over Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to seal the deal. James finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Overall, LeBron gave us one of his best defensive outings to date.
The Los Angeles Lakers have basically secured the top seed in the Western Conference, boasting the best one-two punch in Anthony Davis and LBJ. Davis posted 34 points and shocked the Clippers with a dominant stretch in the third quarter.
While the Warriors won’t be competing against the Lakers this year, it’s entirely possible they face this potential roadblock next season in the playoffs. This means the Dubs should be taking every chance they can to scout and prepare for LA.
As we’ve mentioned, the Dubs have had success against James in the past. They won four of five NBA Finals matchups versus the King. But, things will be different this time around, with a weaker supporting cast for the Dubs and arguably a stronger one for James.
The Warriors will have their work cut out for them next season if they walk into another battle with LBJ. The road to another championship would be much easier without the Lakers standing in the way, but James has sent yet another message that he isn’t slowing down anytime soon.