In May 2021, then-defending champions Lakers and Curry's Warriors met in the play-offs. Curry scored 37 points in that game, but the Lakers won the playoffs with James' long-range three-point shot with 58 seconds left in the game. The Warriors eventually missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
Tomorrow, the two teams will meet again in the 2022-23 season opener. Compared to a year and a half ago, the situation of both teams has changed dramatically. Now that the Warriors are the defending champions, Curry is back in his familiar position. And the Lakers became the team that failed to make the playoffs in previous seasons, and James forged ahead on the road beyond history. LeBron James vs Stephen Curry, the eight-season showdown story, will open a new chapter tomorrow.
From a roster perspective, the Warriors, who have retained most of the championship members, look stronger than the currently wounded Lakers.
In the preseason game, the Warriors traveled to Japan and still played a 3-2 record. During the preseason, the Warriors focused on developing new talent. Their top three players in preseason average are Kuminga, Moody and Poole, and Wiseman has played in five preseason games. In the regular season, developing new players is still an important task for the Warriors.
Poole, who has just renewed his contract for 4 years and 140 million, is likely to play a more important role in the opener. While Poole may still be playing as a backup, he is likely to surpass Klay Thompson as the Warriors' second-leading scorer. The rotation and tactical position of Curry, Klay and Poole in the opener is worth paying attention to. The interaction between Poole and Draymond Green on the field will definitely touch the nerves of many fans and media.
James Wiseman's pre-season performance was impressive. In five games in the preseason, Wiseman averaged 14.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 67 percent from the field. Kevin Rooney will still be the starting center of the Warriors in tomorrow's game against the Lakers, but Wiseman will definitely get a lot of opportunities to play at the same time as Curry, Green and others. Can Wiseman fit well into the Warriors' championship lineup? How can Wiseman, who has top interior talent, bring to the Warriors, who are used to playing small lineups? This is another highlight of the Warriors in the opener.
Compared to Wiseman, Kuminga and Moody have a much lower chance of being in the starting lineup. However, as the focus of the Warriors in the preseason, these two will definitely be the most important players in the Warriors' bench. Their bench lineup with DiVincenzo, Jermichael-Green and others is far superior to the Lakers' bench in terms of overall strength, and perhaps the bench lineup led by Kuminga and Moody is the Warriors' biggest scoring weapon.
The Lakers' current poor situation and the Warriors' thriving are in stark contrast. The Lakers played 6 games in the preseason, but the ample opportunity to play did not bring the Lakers a momentum of improvement, and they are still in a difficult run-in period. The Lakers only played a 1-5 record in the preseason, and the final game was bloodied by the Kings by 47 points. After six preseason games, it's still hard to even guess the Lakers' starting lineup.
First of all, the Lakers face serious injury problems. There are currently six players on the Lakers roster who are on the injury list, three of whom have been confirmed to be unavailable for the opener: Troy Brown (sore back), Thomas Bryant (sprained left thumb), Dennis Schroeder (right thumb repair surgery). Anthony Davis (sore back) and LeBron James (sore left foot) will return and start in the opener. Lakers coach Hamm revealed that Westbrook, who suffered a hamstring strain in the final game of the preseason, will also return in the opener, but the hamstring injury will affect Wei Shao's state to some extent.
The only good news for the Lakers was that their only win in the preseason was for the Warriors. Anthony Davis single-handedly led the team in that game, and he played 21 minutes to score 28 points and lead the Lakers to victory over most of the main Warriors. In the opener, Anthony Davis will also be the player the Lakers rely on the most, and he has the greatest matchmaking advantage for the Warriors. Davis was in very good form in the preseason, and after plenty of rest, Anthony Davis will surely cause the Warriors the biggest trouble tomorrow. If the Lakers want to win, Davis must also show his championship-winning season impact on both the offensive and defensive ends.
LeBron James remains a barometer of the Lakers' performance. In the preseason, James has made a lot of changes in his style of play, his ball-carrying breakout is decreasing, while the proportion of low-post offense, mid-range backs and three-pointers in the offense is increasing. Perhaps it's James retaining his strength in the preseason. I believe that in the regular season, especially against the old rival Warriors, James will increase the number of kills he makes. The 38-year-old emperor has a few success left, and everyone can also glimpse a thing or two in the opener.
In the offensive system of the new Lakers coach Davin Hamm, James is increasingly tasked with covering his teammates without the ball. Many times James will cede the top of the arc position to the guard with the ball, stand at 45 degrees to cover for no teammate and bounce outside or take the position, which may be Hamm's solution to the Lakers' space problem. The new season of the Lakers will definitely play more complicated in the half-court positional offense. Playing against highly disciplined warriors will be a test of their current offensive system.
If Westbrook can play, then he will most likely play as a substitute. In the last game of the preseason, Wei Shao, who came off the bench, played only 5 minutes. In these five minutes, it can still be seen that Wei Shao, who has more possessions, plays more freely. Even if the Lakers want to trade Wei Shao, they must let Wei Shao play back some value, so Westbrook has become a substitute, but his ball and tactical position may still increase. Can Will Shao be the engine in the Lakers' connection segment? This is a point worth paying attention to in the first game of the Lakers.
Although the Lakers have a dismal record in the preseason, objectively speaking, the Lakers' defensive attitude most of the time is better than last season. Coach Hamm has always emphasized the fighting spirit to the Lakers players, and he stressed that no matter what the situation on the court, we must strive to play the next round well. At present, Hamm has improved the mental outlook of the Lakers team to a certain extent. Therefore, although there is a gap between the Lakers and the defending champion in terms of overall strength, every player of the Lakers will definitely fight hard until the last moment of the game. Regardless of the result, it was a game well worth watching.
Initial forecasts for both sides:
Lakers: Beverley, Nunn, Lonnie Walker, LeBron James, Anthony Davis
Warriors: Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond Green, Wayne Rooney
(NBA official website)