SUMMARY
- LeBron James faced the Warriors through four straight NBA Finals appearances.
- He claimed acquiring Kevin Durant made the team impossible to guard.
LeBron James has been through a couple of eras in the league. The 4x NBA Champion probably has a good outlook on how things are run or how various teams or his peers play the game. He is one of the smartest individuals the league has ever seen. And over the years, his IQ has only increased to a point where he dominates the floor at the age of 39. However, despite being the legend that he is, James has also faced problems on the floor against his opponents.
During the early or mid-2010s, LeBron James was at the peak of his career. He won his first two championships in Miami and moved to Cleveland in 2014. It was through four straight finals appearances that James and the Cavaliers had to face the Golden State Warriors. The core trio were newly unstoppable and by 2016, both teams had already won a title against each other once.
LeBron James claimed Kevin Durant made the Warriors unbeatable
In 2016, the Warriors decided to acquire Kevin Durant. The forward spent nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Bringing him into the lineup which featured an MVP Steph Curry, prime Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green was the best chance of winning another title. LeBron James claimed KD changed everything and the Warriors became unstoppable during his tenure.
LeBron speaks on how to guard Draymond in the post and how much tougher the Warriors were to defend when they added a guy like Kevin Durant during those finals matchups
via: @mindthegamepod pic.twitter.com/uLPYToKNtI
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) March 27, 2024
On the Mind the Game Podcast, he said, “When everything went haywire when it was f**king Kevin Durant over there and another shooter. It was like impossible to guard. You couldn’t help from the weak, because now Draymond [Green] is such a great IQ player. If you tag from the guy on the weak side, he throws it all the way across the court.” James also explained a similar play during one of their NBA finals appearances.
The Warriors wanted LeBron James ahead of the trade deadline
Over the years of rivalry, the veterans of both teams have developed great relationships. We often see Steph Curry and LeBron James shower each other with love on the floor. James has also previously expressed his desire to play with someone like Steph or Green. It turns out, the Warriors attempted to acquire James ahead of the 2024 February trade deadline.
The Warriors used Rich Paul, Green and James’ agent, as a pawn to discuss a trade with Jeanie Buss. While she was completely against the idea, she claimed that she was open to it unless LeBron also wanted to leave the Lakers. But James had no interest in leaving the Lakers which ultimately put the idea to rest for good. Both teams may face each other in the Play-In Tournament this season, which makes things interesting.