On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers improved to 9-2 and remained atop the Western Conference standings with a 120-94 win over the Golden State Warriors -- who do not look anything like the team that played in five consecutive NBA Finals and won three championships over the past five seasons.
Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala are gone. Shaun Livingston retired. Klay Thompson is almost certainly out for the season as he recovers from ACL surgery and Stephen Curry is sidelined for a lengthy period as he works his way back from a broken hand.
LeBron James, who finished with 23 points, 12 assists and six boards, knows all about that old Warriors team. He played against them in four of those Finals, leading Cleveland back from a 3-1 deficit to win a title in 2016. But it was another of those Finals matchups that LeBron referenced on Thursday night. You might even call it a little-bitty dig at the Warriors and their fans.
After the game, LeBron was asked if it was weird playing against this version of the Warriors with all the aforementioned players not on the court, and LeBron said: "Not when you're in it. I think when I'm watching them, when I'm at home on my off nights, it becomes weird then just seeing Klay in a suit, and not seeing Steph out there. But not when you play."
Then LeBron paused, and added the finishing touch.
"I played them in the Finals without Kyrie (Irving) and Kevin (Love). So, no."
Asked if it's weird to play lopsided game against the Warriors, LeBron says it's weirder to watch on TV, not in an actual game.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) November 14, 2019
Then adds: "I played them in the Finals without Kyrie and Kevin. So, no." pic.twitter.com/FRJiRhprIx
LeBron is referencing the 2015 Finals, and if you'll remember, it was quite the topic of conversation whether the Warriors would have won that series had Irving and Love been healthy. The Cavs went up 2-1 in that series and LeBron went on an all-time one-man tear. This is just a little reminder that what goes around comes around. It's the Warriors' turn to be on the wrong side of the injury coin, and LeBron clearly has no sympathy for them or their fans.