LeBron James and Stephen Curry have been the two most popular names in the NBA for quite some time. While both legends are getting older and possibly nearing the end of the line in their Hall-of-Fame careers, the crazy thing is that LeBron and Steph continue to take their games to new heights. What we have seen from James, who is on the verge of turning 40, and Curry, who is turning 37 in March, to begin the 2024-25 season for the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, respectively, is simply expected at this point.
We have become so accustomed to seeing James’ all-around heroics and Curry putting his team on his back late in games that their perfection on the hardwood is simply just another head-shaking moment for us. The NBA Cup kicked off action on Tuesday, highlighted by Klay Thompson’s return to the Bay Area, yet it was James and Curry who once again stole the spotlight with what they have achieved on the court.
No matter how you look at it, this league still belongs to LeBron and Steph. Stars like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and others continue to shine, yet the two ageless ones in Los Angeles and San Francisco are who the fans want to see.
This rivalry turned great friendship drove ratings during the 2024 Summer Olympics when they won a gold medal for Team USA, and they are once again at the forefront of the NBA’s early-season ratings. The first night of the Emirates NBA Cup on TNT drew an average of 1.93 million viewers, up 71 percent compared to last year’s doubleheader, according to Front Office Sports.
Sure, people wanted to see Joel Embiid’s return to action against the New York Knicks, but it was the nightcap of Curry taking on Thompson in Chase Center that people wanted to see. Curry taking center stage averaged 2.14 million viewers, an 84% increase compared to the second NBA Cup game last season.
Once Tuesday’s NBA Cup games concluded, the talk wasn’t about these tournament games themselves. Instead, the focus was on Curry’s late-game shots that led the Warriors to a victory. He has done this time and time again throughout his career, yet seeing Steph hit dagger threes is something NBA fans can’t get enough of.
The following night, it was James’ turn to captivate the NBA audience. Although this wasn’t an NBA Cup game against the Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron and the Lakers still stole the night with yet another historic feat in the team’s third consecutive win.
Even with all this talk about a new era of talent ready to take over, the NBA still revolves around Curry and James.
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LeBron James, Stephen Curry stole NBA Cup spotlight
In attempts to drive the league’s image and add more meaning to games played in November and December, the NBA introduced the idea of an in-season tournament last year. Given the success of this event, it was rebranded to the Emirates NBA Cup this year, with more emphasis and attention being cast on this tournament.
Tuesday marked the first NBA Cup games to be played, and the league’s attention was on Thompson’s return game against the Warriors. From his grand entrance with hundreds of Warriors employees welcoming him back to the pregame festivities where fans tipped their Captain Klay hats that they got when they walked into Chase Center, this was unlike anything we’ve seen for a player going up against his former team.
What happened on the court was even better. A back-and-forth game between the Warriors and Mavs brought us to the final few minutes of the fourth quarter with these two teams within just a handful of points of one another. Normally, this is called clutch time, but we might as well start calling it Curry time!
Over the final three minutes and 10 seconds against Dallas, Curry scored 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including a dagger three with 27.1 seconds left to put Golden State up four points. This is a team on a mission right now at 9-2 overall, and there are serious title aspirations growing for the Warriors.
“If he is to get that fifth ring he is searching for, it puts him in a whole different category of greatness and legendary status, more than he already has,” Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski told ClutchPoints in a recent exclusive interview. “I just think it’s so important for him, Draymond [Green], and Steve [Kerr] to get that fifth one together.
“I don’t know how many years he has left, but I know that he is going to try and do whatever he needs to in order to get that fifth ring.”
Much like how the Warriors’ goal is to win another championship, LeBron and the Lakers have high aspirations as well given their start to the 2024-25 campaign. In Los Angeles, James and the Lakers find themselves with a 7-4 record after picking up their third consecutive victory over the Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
While the NBA Cup games were played on Tuesday, conversations about Curry’s performance were what dominated headlines. Less than 24 hours later, the focus shifted to James, who had become the oldest player in NBA history to record back-to-back triple-doubles. Well, LeBron was back at it again, as he led the way for the Lakers with 35 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds, marking his third straight triple-double. Again, he is the oldest player in league history to achieve such a feat.
It is quite amazing that James continues to play like he is just reaching the prime of his career, especially considering that he is almost 40. Time will run out eventually for LeBron, and even he will be the first to admit that his moment to call it quits is approaching.
“I’m not gonna play that much longer, to be completely honest,” James said after his third straight triple-double. “I don’t know how many years that is, whether it’s 1 year, 2 years, whatever… I said the other night that I’m not playing until the wheels fall off.”
Regardless of when James or Curry are ready to call it quits, they are still the faces of the league. Even with the NBA Cup going on, these two are the players who dominate headlines focused on the league.
Speaking of the NBA Cup, does anyone else think it is a little awkward to only play these games on Tuesdays and Fridays in November? These playoff-like games are definitely great, and the league was definitely onto something with the idea to create this tournament. At the same time, it just seems like it would make a lot more sense to play these games consecutively over the course of a week or two; that way, fans can stay engaged with what is happening. It is a little hard for many fans to keep up with the NBA Cup standings and remember when exactly the games are.
Not to mention, let’s have a little bit of sympathy for those arena workers who have to get the fresh court and all the aesthetics of the NBA Cup ready, only to take them all down for one game before putting them back up again. This event would get a lot more attention and engagement if it was all at once instead of being spread out.
Injuries across NBA continue to stockpile
Injuries around the NBA continue to stack up. We have still yet to see Kawhi Leonard, Kristaps Porzingis, Khris Middleton, or Isaiah Hartenstein play, and now even more All-Star-level talents are out.
Ja Morant was the latest star to hit the injury report, alongside Jimmy Butler, Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and Kevin Durant. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, Morant is dealing with a right hip subluxation and pelvic muscle strains, leaving his status week-to-week with no clear timetable for a possible return.
No team in the league has been decimated more from injuries than the New Orleans Pelicans, as they have six total players sidelined. Zion Williamson is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury, Jose Alvarado is out with a hamstring injury, CJ McCollum is still out with an adductor strain, and Dejounte Murray continues to recover from a fractured hand he suffered in the first game of the season. Jordan Hawkins and Herb Jones are the other two players that will miss a couple more weeks in New Orleans.
The NBA has an injury problem, and they simply do not want to admit it. While there is no way to prevent fractured hands, like in Murray’s case, or concussions, like in the case of Damian Lillard, these soft tissue and ligament injuries many stars currently suffer from are becoming more and more frequent.
When you compare the training, time spent in the gym, and vigorous exercises these players are doing now compared to what it was like a decade ago, the clear difference is body strain. These superstars are spending so much time in the gym today and putting their bodies through different drills that simply result in wear and tear. Over time, the body breaks down with no real days to recuperate over the course of the 82-game season, resulting in parts of the body like hamstrings, calves, and other muscles becoming inflamed and strained.
So, what is the solution? That is the million-dollar question right now that the NBA doesn’t seem to have an answer to. The schedule has become a lot more player-friendly in terms of back-to-backs being cut down and more rest days being implemented, yet these big-name players are still suffering from major injuries.
Perhaps one thing that is being overlooked is the fact that the emphasis that used to exist in the preseason isn’t there anymore. Few All-Stars are actually participating in preseason games, and they are resting more in order to be fresher for the start of the season. Well, if you don’t play, the bottom line is that you aren’t going to be in the tip-top shape you think you are. There is no proof behind this, and I am certainly not a doctor, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that playing and keeping the body engaged physically cuts down on tweaks and pulls.
Does the NBA need to cut the schedule down? Do more rest days need to be implemented? There really isn’t a key solution to solving the injury conundrum the league faces right now.
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What’s going on with 2024 conference finalists?
Shifting the focus from LeBron and Steph, as well as the NBA Cup, to the rest of the league brings us to the four teams that were left standing last year: the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Dallas Mavericks.
What is going on with these four teams right now? The Celtics are 10-3 on the season, so they don’t have much to be concerned about compared to the other three organizations, but even Boston hasn’t looked like the fearful defending champions that they are supposed to be.
After losing to the Warriors, Boston barely escaped the Brooklyn Nets in overtime, the Milwaukee Bucks took them down to the wire, and the Atlanta Hawks pulled off a stunning road win without Trae Young. Joe Mazzulla has created the Celtics’ offense to live and die by their perimeter game being success. When turnovers rise and just one of this team’s starters isn’t locked in from three-point range, things can begin to unravel.
Overall though, there isn’t much reason to be concerned about where the Celtics find themselves right now. Instead, we should keep a close eye on if this offensive approach can actually be successful.
The Pacers, on the other hand, continue to have massive defensive problems. This team ranks 24th in defensive rating, and they are giving up an average of 116.5 points per game to their opponents, which is bottom 10 in the league. Not having a great defense is fine if your offense is the best in the league, which it was a season ago for Indiana. However, that has not been the case this year, and All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton’s slow start is really impacting the Pacers’ ability to run effective offensive sets.
In the Western Conference, the Timberwolves are not the same defensive team they were a season ago, with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns patrolling the paint. More importantly, they are getting decimated when it comes to grabbing rebounds. But hey, at least Anthony Edwards leads the league in three-pointers.
As far as the Mavs go, Luka Doncic is still working himself up to full speed, and the absence of PJ Washington due to a knee injury is a lot more significant than many would’ve imagined. Dallas may be 5-7 right now, but they have lost four straight games by a combined eight points. This is still a very good basketball team.
Quick thoughts from around the NBA:
- The Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons, and Atlanta Hawks are three of the eight undefeated teams after the first day of NBA Cup games. Will that change on Friday?
- Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey are the focus in Philadelphia, but how good has Jared McCain been for the 76ers? He is now the favorite for Rookie of the Year, and he recently joined Victor Wembanyama in elite rookie company.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers are 13-0, becoming the first team in league history to win each of their first 13 games since the Warriors during the 2015-16 season. This is just the sixth time in NBA history that a team has started a season with a 13-0 or better record. Cleveland will look to make it 14-0 against Chicago on Friday night.
- If you are looking for trades, look elsewhere. There have been virtually no trade talks around the league in recent weeks, as the Lakers haven’t been looking to make substantial moves, and the Bucks can’t find any team that is wanting to make a trade with them. Of course, this will all change heading into December, and especially when the calendar flips to January with the trade deadline around the corner at that point.
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