It’s a dream come true for fans and Klay Thompson alike to see the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors face off against each other in the playoffs for the first time since 1991.
The Lakers and Warriors are two of the NBA’s most iconic franchises, so fans are in for a treat when they meet for Game 1 on Tuesday. The storylines are abundant, though everything revolves around LeBron James.
James is all too familiar with Golden State after their Finals matchups, and he is going to come well-prepared to play against arguably his biggest rivals. However, through the years James has gotten close with several Warriors players including Draymond Green.
Ahead of their series, James opened up about his relationship with Green, via Melissa Rohlin of FOX Sports:
“Yeah, and it’s still gonna be that way. But at the end of the day, this game is… We’ve played this game for so long and we have a great relationship that lies off the floor that people don’t want to understand. And that’s OK, who cares. That doesn’t stop us from going out and competing at a high level and wanting the other to not be successful when we go up against each other.”
“But when we’re not playing each other, we support each other both on and off the floor. And our families are very close and when it comes to that we don’t really care what nobody says about our relationship. I think it’s pretty stupid honestly, but we’re fierce competitors and everyone knows that.”
James and Green have only met each other in the Finals, so this will be the first time the pair of friends will get to compete against each other before then. They did face off in the inaugural Play-In Tournament in 2021, but this carries entirely different stakes as the winner gets a ticket to the Western Conference Finals.
These days, it’s normal for stars to be friends with each other off the floor but it sounds like James isn’t going to be taking it easy on Green. Both players will be looking to one-up the other, and fans should be excited for the ensuing fireworks.
Draymond Green gives initial thoughts on Lakers-Warriors matchup
Like James, Green is a student of the game who’s made his living off of film work. Ahead of the Lakers-Warriors series, Green broke down Los Angeles’ roster and offered his initial thoughts.
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