Teams that were once down and out are beginning to find their groove with the NBA playoffs on the horizon. The Lakers and Warriors made massive trades to bolster their rosters ahead of the trade deadline and are reaping the benefits as they both surge up the standings. ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst states Stephen Curry and LeBron James are on pace for another historic playoff matchup.
Advertisement
Curry and James went toe-to-toe in many high-stakes matchups throughout the 2010s. Their intense duels in the NBA Finals are engraved in history and cherished in the hearts of fans. Many figured those days were things of the past, but that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer.
The Lakers broke the NBA by acquiring Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic. Golden State followed suit by adding five-time All-NBA member Jimmy Butler. Both teams are figuring out their identity and setting the stage for an exciting postseason.
Windhorst joined ESPN’s Get Up to discuss the success of both teams while highlighting the possibility of a potential series between the two.
“Right now [the Warriors] are on the same side of the bracket as the Lakers,” Windhorst said. “That’s a potential second-round matchup. Both of them feel good about themselves.”
.@windhorstESPN details how LeBron James’ Lakers and Steph Curry’s Warriors may be on a collision course to meet in the playoffs pic.twitter.com/xTGsnvvXxX
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 5, 2025
Windhorst couldn’t contain his passion while discussing the state of the NBA. He went on to direct his focal point toward fans, shutting down any notion that the NBA is boring.
“For anybody who says there’s something wrong with the NBA, or they don’t like what’s going on, you’re not paying attention,” Windhorst said. “What we’ve got right now is potentially a historic and incredibly interesting spring playoffs.”
LeBron and Curry are defying the odds concerning “Father Time” by maintaining their dominant play. Neither player has much longer in the league, meaning a potential postseason matchup could be their last duel.
Butler has reignited the Warriors
The Warriors have looked like a different team since acquiring Butler, and that is because they are. Butler has changed the way the Warriors play for the first time in the Curry era. The NBA’s all-time three-point leader is a direct beneficiary of Butler’s skill set.
Golden State is 9-1 in the 10 games Butler has played. Before the Butler trade, the Warriors were ninth in the West. They have since been propelled to the sixth seed and show no signs of slowing down.
Warriors star Draymond Green prematurely predicted Golden State would win the title at All-Star Weekend. At that point, Butler had only played four games with the team. However, with the rate the Warriors are trending, Butler’s prediction may not be so far-fetched.
