Nothing plagues LeBron James like Stephen Curry and the Warriors

I n his 20th NBA season LeBron James has officially reached the ageist chapter of his hero’s journey. Since passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the 38-year-old hasn’t been able to take a dribble without being declared the oldest to do thisor that, as his son literally waits in the wings to take up his father’s mantle. But nothing plagues the elder James quite like the Golden State Warriors, a royal pain that simply refuses to go away.

King James surely winced when the defending champions outlasted Sacramento in Game 7 of their playoff series to set up a showdown with his Lakers, which starts on Tuesday night. Already, fan conspiracy theorists are hinting at Adam Silver’s invisible hand. This heavyweight fight between sixth-seeded Golden State and the No 7 Lakers isn’t just mega for the Western Conference second round; it will hijack the NBA playoffs for the next two weeks. The legacies at stake alone are enormous.

Recall: in 2018 the Warriors swept James out of the NBA finals for the third time in his august career, sweet revenge that came just two years after James made the 73-9 Warriors a laughing stock for blowing a 3-1 finals lead while delivering on his championship promise to Cleveland. And even though both parties managed to summit the mountain again without getting in the other’s way – James won his fourth title in 2020 with the Lakers two years after his lowkey free-agent signing, while Golden State beat Boston in the NBA finals last year to keep the sun from setting on their dynasty – there was scant reason to believe the prevailing powers of the past 16 NBA seasons would be drawn into another battle royale.

Five months ago the Lakers were a 2-10 mess that featured Russell