39-year-old James PK 35-year-old Curry, they are getting older and stronger
Text | coins
Edit | Aunt Wang, Xin Yu
In the first Lakers battle of the 2023-24 season, in double overtime, Curry and James wrote a perfect ending to this heart-wrenching game with a shutout and a counter-shutout.
The 39-year-old James scored 36 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists, breaking his record for the oldest player in NBA history to score 30+ triple-doubles, and made foul free throws at the last minute to kill the game.
Curry, 35, scored 46 points and scored 15 points in two overtimes.
When the final whistle blew, Curry walked up to James, the two hugged and greeted, Curry asked the elder Zhan, "How are we getting better and better?"
James smiled and replied, "Brother, I also want to know how we did it?"
The hatred of the year was deep in the bones
On Halloween 2016, the Cavaliers were invited to James' party, and when they arrived at the scene, they were surprised to see the furnishings inside.
In front of a pile of skeletons, a round plate with the words "3-1 Lead" written on it in a bloody visual.
When the guests came to the dining table, they found a special biscuit, in the shape of a tombstone, with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson written on it, and the date "2015-16" was also marked.
When the images were posted online, James explained that it was a joke, but it was clear that it was not a joke, but a deep "hate".
In James's career, he has some old enemies, the Boston Big Three, and the Spurs GDP, but none of these stars are like Curry, who has continuously blocked the old James in the Finals.
In the 2015 Finals, Love and Irving were injured, and James single-handedly faced off against the Warriors, he averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game, but he was alone in front of the Warriors' death five, although the Finals MVP was awarded to Iguodala, but the Warriors scored the most Curry.
When that series ended, James sat in front of the locker for a full hour, and there was a loud noise outside the locker room where Curry and his teammates were celebrating the victory. That scene hit James hard in the heart, and he actually said in an interview: "I'd rather not make the playoffs than lose the Finals." ”
During the 2015-16 season, Curry also added fuel to the fire, and when the Warriors played on the road in Cleveland, Curry chatted with reporters: "Walking into the visiting locker room at the Cavaliers Arena, good memories are awakened, and there is still the smell of championship champagne." ”
In the 2016 Finals, James turned his anger into a 1-3 comeback, and that series was the biggest regret of Curry's career, as he led the team to 73 wins in the regular season to break the NBA all-time record and become the first unanimous MVP, but fell short in the playoffs when he was closest to the championship, and Curry was unable to recover from an unhealed right knee injury.
Warriors reporter Marcus Thompson described Curry's knee injury this way: "He had a bandage around his right knee, layer upon layer, as if he was going to pack his knee overseas. When the bandage is removed, there are layers of gauze, and when the gauze is removed, you will see obvious redness and swelling, which is in stark contrast to the left knee that is not injured. ”
The 2016 Finals were overturned and the Warriors were sent to recruit Durant, and Curry texted Adu and promised to his face that he didn't care about personal data and honors, but only wanted a championship. The addition of Durant completely shook the parity of the NBA championship level, James was defeated by the "Cosmic Brave" in the 2017 and 2018 Finals, and the Cavaliers 2.0 period was excellent in four years and four finals, but three defeats to the Warriors were an indelible pain in James's heart.
Waiting for five years of reunion
2019 is the time dividing line of the Janku matchup era, James who came to the Lakers was knocked down by a groin strain and missed the playoffs, although Curry entered the Finals, Durant and Klay were seriously injured, the Warriors were defeated by the Raptors, and the dynasty collapsed and only a ruin.
Just when the outside world speculated that the NBA would enter the era of the new king dominating the old king and the abdication of the old king, James lifted the championship trophy again in the Orlando campus, and Curry, who failed to qualify for the rematch at that moment, saw Lao Zhan return to the throne in front of the TV and heard the old opponent's heartfelt declaration.
"Me and my team need respect. ”
Curry and the Warriors need it too, and two years after James won his fourth championship, Curry led his team back up from the ashes and back to the top. In Game 4 of the Finals against the Green Army, Curry single-handedly rode the Savior with 43 points to announce the return of the king.
"He has a great heart. Klay said of Curry.
James reached the top in 2020 without meeting Curry, Curry failed to meet Lao Zhan when he wore the crown again in 2022, and the time came to the 2023 Western Conference semifinals, Zhan Ku reunited after a long absence, and this time it has been five years since their last playoff meeting.
In 2023, although the competition is extremely hot and the traffic is full, it is not about the championship compared with the previous Rider battle, James cut off Curry and the Warriors' hope of defending the title, but the Lakers finally failed to get out of the West, and Jokic and his Nuggets stood at the top of the league.
The tide of the back waves pushing the front waves has never been so turbulent as in 2023, and the song of an era that is about to come to an end seems to be playing.
They are old and strong
The Lakers and Warriors in the 2023-24 season are both reeling in the wind and rain, one barely squeezing into the play-in zone and the other outside the top 10 in the West.
The poor record of the Lakers and the Warriors is the result of a combination of reasons, the Lakers are hindered by projection and erratic defense, and the Warriors are limited by the size and rotation of the old and new lineups, they are all disappointing to varying degrees, but until the final moments, they will not despair, because there are also James and Curry.
No one can achieve the ultimate victory in the race against time, James and Curry also have to abide by the laws of nature, they are getting older, explosiveness and physical strength have irreversible decline, and therefore the quality of the game under a large sample is inevitably up and down, the criticism is beginning to exceed the praise, and the wheel of time is crushing the remaining peak.
This double-overtime battle is a battle between James and Curry and the years, this is a big drama, thick eyebrows, Russell, Klay, Dream Chasing, Wiggins and Kuminga as supporting roles gave the strongest supporting performance, paving the way for the peak reunion of the two protagonists.
Janku lived up to expectations and performed a tie-kill-counter-kill drama, which was the first time in NBA history that two rival players over the age of 35 scored 35+ points in the same game. You can interpret a game as a small sample of accidents, but just as it is an objective fact that Janku is getting older, it is also visible to the naked eye that they are getting stronger in their former weaknesses.
James released the ball, increased off-ball air cuts and outside shooting, Curry gained weight and muscle, and upgraded his ability to attack the interior, and they tried to lengthen the shortcomings while protecting the technical longboard as much as possible.
"We never take a good game for granted, you know, a good performance can leave you at any time," James said, "and in order to be competitive for a long time, you have to have a growth mindset and put in training to adapt to the game. Stephen is like that, he's got a lot of skills, he's got a lot of muscle, you have to trust your input, and that effort will give us back in the game. Stephen and I have been pushing each other in our careers and you don't know how many opportunities there are to play against such a great player and I enjoy it. ”
Zhanku may no longer be the best player in the league, this position now belongs to Jokic, they are not even the most popular, the old Zhan lost to Brother Alphabet in the battle for the All-Star vote, Curry was not selected as an All-Star starter, and the change of the NBA is unstoppable, but before the tide of Janku's generation recedes, they will still have a "let me be younger" game to turn back time briefly.
After so many years, the Janku showdown is still the NBA's "Spring Festival Gala", and such stories and feelings may be more irreplaceable than the championship and the ticket king.