Steph and LeBron remind the sports world that the NBA reigns supreme on Christmas

Steph and LeBron remind the sports world that the NBA reigns supreme this Christmas originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Nostalgia in the NBA is not limited to small gifts, but to the big gift that every child, teenager and adult desperately wants to see opened and that warms everyone’s hearts. The Past opened its doors wide on Christmas Day at Chase Center.

Nearly two hours before the decision between the Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers, Steve Kerr called coaching Steph Curry and LeBron James this summer for Team USA at the Paris Olympics the “thrill of a lifetime,” calling the two ” the standard bearers”. our league in this generation.”

Lakers coach JJ Reddick compared the two greats to what Magic Johnson and Larry Bird meant to the NBA in the 1980s, how Michael Jordan took the game to new levels in the 90s and what Kobe Bryant did in the 2000s was the heir to the throne.

Kerr even found new analogy in the spectacle of Curry’s warmups, which captured everyone’s attention long before the game began.

“You’re watching Mozart compose music,” Kerr said during his pregame press conference. “He is the greatest in the world at what he does and his craft.”

Those words rang as true as ever for Curry and James all four quarters and all 48 minutes. Curry scored a game-high 38 points, the most on Christmas, while also making a Christmas record eight 3-pointers. James had 31, the most of any Lakers, and provided 10 assists, tying his teammate Austin Reaves for a game-high.

The score ended in the Lakers’ favor at 115-113, despite Curry’s literal late-game heroics. Basketball is a 5-on-5 game and a total of 19 players were used. Two players could have been in the spotlight the entire game and no one would have complained.

“It’s always a lot of fun,” Curry said. “The competitiveness, the history, his greatness allows me to just appreciate everything we’ve been through, all the struggles back and forth and the fact that it’s 2024 and we’re still making it.

“Somehow the games are quite electrifying and a must-see TV situation. I love it. I know we’ve talked about it beforehand, and we’ll probably talk about it until it actually becomes a reality. You don’t know how many opportunities you’ll get to do this on a stage like this.

“You kind of enjoy it and that’s why it sucked to lose. Just because these are moments like that that are a little more important.”

Every second, every shot counted more than in the previous 28 games. It was no surprise who took the first shot for their respective teams.

As he dribbled along the right baseline, James failed to make a 15-foot jump shot. Kerr made sure the ball was in Curry’s hands on the other side. Running through the paint with the help of an Andrew Wiggins screen, Curry’s night began with a simple layup. James then hit his version of Kareem’s skyhook and the fight was officially underway.

There were plenty of points and a few highlights at the start of the game. For the final two-plus minutes of the first half, fans had no choice but to stand and raise the decibels in the arena as Steph and LeBron exchanged balls.

A Curry layup was immediately followed by one from James. Two free throws from James were countered by a 3-pointer from Curry, only for James to hit an 18-foot jump shot and Curry to answer with a step-back three. A game started to feel more like a script.

Steph, surfing through gaps in the Lakers’ defense and hitting Trayce Jackson-Davis with a deft pass, made it a three-point play at halftime, setting everyone up for a possible Hollywood ending in the Bay.

James scored seven points in the third quarter, giving him 26 points in the fourth quarter. Curry shot just twice and scored five points, making the score 21 going into the final quarter.

A cinematic showdown was about to begin. James scored five points in the fourth period but also contributed five assists. Curry was the star attraction, a Golden Globe-winning leading man whose performance to miss a second would be a sin.

Curry had taken 13 shots in three quarters. He took 11 over 10 minutes in the fourth quarter, made seven and scored 17 points without ever going to the free throw line.

Max Christie’s two free throws at the 3:26 mark put the Lakers ahead by 10 points. Curry then scored 13 points himself in the final three minutes and 16 seconds, bringing the Warriors within one point with 12 seconds left and tying the game five seconds later. His throw from the right corner over James was one of the craziest shots Curry has made in his storied career and says a lot about someone who has made the impossible possible countless times.

“Yeah, that was ridiculous,” Jackson-Davis said. “He didn’t even look like he had it in his hand when he shot it. This will definitely be one of my favorites. I wish we could have gotten that out.

“But to see him playing at this level at his age is just ridiculous at this point.”

Curry pulled in from 31 feet on the Warriors’ next possession, surprising no one. Swish. Steph maintained his shooting stance, thrust his right leg in the air and slowly walked back to the Warriors’ bench – all in vain.

“He was great,” Kerr said. “I just mean the last two shots that bring us back to a draw. The one in the corner was just a crazy shot. Steph was brilliant.”

On a day when the NFL tried to steal the shine from under the NBA, Steph and LeBron reminded the sports world who has the upper hand.

Everyone is known by their first name to everyone inside and outside of the sport. One turns 40 next week, the other turns 37 in March. History has shown that the NBA has been looking for its next faces in the league, as the frontrunners always provide the most entertainment when they compete against each other.

The search continues. Enjoy what’s left. What makes the game still great on any given day?

Ask the man who has played more minutes than anyone else, pushing the boundaries of what longevity means.

“LeBron and Steph,” James said. “S–t.”

“That’s a good answer, that’s why we’re playing today,” Curry replied.

Sometimes no more words are necessary. Watch while you still can.

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