LOS ANGELES – LeBron James versus the Golden State Warriors has been a hallmark of NBA planning for years. This season on Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day is a sign of how much historical hissing this rivalry has.
But Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose teams have been in epic battles with James over the years, also admitted that losing Klay Thompson to an off-season Achilles injury removed some of the intrigue. While the Lakers are at the top of the league, the Warriors are only fighting for a spot in the middle.
« It didn’t really work out given the injuries over the past few years, » said Kerr. « Now they are the champions and we are the ones looking up. Our goal this year is to establish ourselves as the playoff team and hopefully take the next step from there and really become a competitor again. But we still have a lot to do. »
The night the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks were trading haymakers in a game widely viewed as a preview of the Eastern Conference finals, an interesting question arose: Yes, the Lakers have the best NBA balance sheet – but how challenging has your schedule been so far?
Trainer Frank Vogel openly acknowledges the luck of his team: They played the Memphis Grizzlies without Ja Morant and had two games against the San Antonio Spurs without LaMarcus Aldridge. They also blown Dallas without all-star Luka Doncic and Minnesota without Karl-Anthony Towns. The best teams they have played, the Clippers and Trail Blazers, resulted in losses even though they were early in the season.
ESPN rates the Lakers’ schedule as the fourth heaviest, but does this metric really capture it? The way Vogel sees it, however, it is not the opponent that matters most.
« I mean, all of these games are just a test of your habits, whether you play a great team or a team that plays really well or a team with a bad record, it doesn’t matter, » said he. « They try to play by a standard and win as many games as possible. »
So far, the Lakers have taken care of business and came into play on Monday evening against Golden State with the fourth-placed offensive score, the best-placed defensive score and the second-best percentage of shooting in the league. It has made them formidable favorites to make it to the NBA Finals outside of the Western Conference, despite the fact that the Clippers are right behind them at 10-4 and are shooting very well themselves.
But the Lakers are getting ready for the longest road trip of the season, a seven-game trek that could also be the best test of their skills yet. Starting with Milwaukee on Thursday, they also visit top eastern competitors Philadelphia and Boston.
« I think where it gets toughest when you get to the playoffs and the teams know they have to go through you to get to the championship. I think most of that challenge is still ahead of us » said Vogel. « But I think we’ll get the best shot of any team this season. »
One of the biggest days on the NBA calendar has always been special for Anthony Davis.
When he played in New Orleans, the pelicans were often scheduled for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Memphis, the city where the civil rights leader was killed and which is now the National Civil Rights Museum. After a year of social justice putting much of the league into action, Davis said the players debated among themselves whether a start date on MLK day would send a strong message.
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Ultimately, the NBA started the season early to play as many games as possible. But Davis is still enjoying the opportunity.
« For all that MLK has done for us and for this world, you couldn’t be happier having the opportunity on MLK Day to play and represent what it wanted all along, » said he. « At least I’ll definitely enjoy playing. »
Both the Lakers and Warriors wore shirts in honor of King, and the Staples Center dropped video boards behind every bench with its quotes.
« Obviously, Dr. King was the greatest activist in our nation’s history in the fight against racism and civil rights, » said Vogel. “This fight is obviously still going on. It’s been running for 400 years. And obviously it’s been brought to light in the last six to nine months, however long it has been since George Floyd’s death. It means a lot to our players and our league, and it is a great source of pride to play a marquee game on Martin Luther King Day. »
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