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“Steph Curry beat LeBron James 3 times in the NBA Finals”: Stephen A Smith boldly tips Warriors to beat the Lakers in the play in tournament

Samir Mehdi
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“Steph Curry is playing more like Wardell against the Lakers”: Skip Bayless predicts the Warriors get blown out by 20 against LeBron James and co in the play in tournament

Stephen A. Smith provides his reasoning behind him claiming Steph Curry could very well beat LeBron James and the Lakers in the Play in. 

After having dropped 46 points on the Memphis Grizzlies, Steph Curry booked the Golden State Warriors a ticket to the 7-8 seed play in game. While Curry was raining in 3s, Damian Lillard and the Blazers took care of business against Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, not allowing the Lakers to climb up the standings as the RipCity won the tie-breaker between the two. 

With the play in picture in both conferences being set, all eyes are on the Western Conference’s 7-8 seed matchup between Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors and LeBron James’s Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers will be hosting the Dubs at Staples Center for the ‘win or go home’ bout. 

This game is nothing new to either of the MVPs as they’ve faced off in high leverage games against one another on a bevy of occasions; occasions that helped carve out the history of the modern NBA.

Also read: NBA Play in Tournament Rules: Is the NBA Play in Tournament a 7 game series?

Ahead of the Warriors-Lakers matchup, Stephen A. Smith decided to come back from his vacation and discuss about the heavyweight bout that is about to take place between Curry and LeBron. 

Stephen A. Smith debates the possibility of Steph Curry beating LeBron James in the play in tournament. 

It’s no surprise that people are genuinely giving the Warriors a chance against the defending champs who are more or less at full strength. This is all due to the presence of Steph Curry on the court. Stephen A. Smith has always been a Curry truther and so, as expected, he took his side on the whether the 2021 scoring champ could best the Lakers.

Also read: NBA play in tournament matchups: Who will Hornets’ LaMelo Ball and Wizards’ Russell Westbrook face off against in the play in tournament

In all fairness, Max Kellerman is right when bringing up the obvious point about the variables at play during the 3 NBA Finals Steph Curry won against LeBron James. Whether it was injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, or the fact that the Dubs put together the greatest offensively talented rostered in the history of the league, LeBron James was the underdog in all of those scenarios. 

Betting against LeBron James is never a wise decision. On the other hand, if there was one player in perhaps the history of the league, who could get hot and singlehandedly carry a team to a win on a singular night, it would be Steph Curry.  

As Ben Cohen outlined in his book, ‘The Hot Hand, ‘ the reason as to why debates on whether the hot hand exists, it because of the 2016 unanimous MVP. 

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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