Lakers at Warriors on Christmas Day
The only credible criticism James’ has faced for his decade of dominance in the East has been questions about whether he could have accomplished the same feats in the tougher Western Conference. The 33-year-old will have a chance to silence those critics if he finds a way to get the Lakers out of the Western Conference and back into the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.
As long as the Warriors have Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and the rest of their stellar supporting cast, the James-led Lakers and other Western Conference teams will have to go through Golden State to make it to the finals. James’ games against Golden State have been marquee matchups since his Cavs squared off against the Warriors in the first of four consecutive NBA Finals series’ in 2015. Things will be no different now that James plays for the most recognizable franchise in the sport. The Christmas showdown will also be good test to see how the Lakers rebuilt roster meshes against elite competition.
