Nick Wright discusses LeBron James & Steph Curry struggling to maintain their star status due to age factor: “Steph Curry, who is one of the 15 greatest players of all time”
LeBron James and Steph Curry have done all they can to will their teams to victories this season but have fallen short more often than not. NBA analyst Nick Wright is saddened to see that their teams are performing poorly.
The Golden State Warriors were one of the favorites to win the 2023 championship coming into the season. Fans believed the Warriors had a great chance of defending their title.
For the LA Lakers, it was a bit different. While no one predicted that they would dominate the West, how they started the season is still shocking.
On "What's Wright with Nick Wright," Wright discussed the issues with the Warriors. However, he took the opportunity to highlight an occurrence he has noticed in the league:
"It is a damn shame that you have Steph Curry, one of the greatest players ever, still clearly in his prime and the team stinks. Kevin Durant, one of the greatest players ever, at the tail end of his prime, and the team stinks.
"And LeBron James, clearly not in his prime but far and away than any player has ever been this deep into his career. ... And those three teams are all awful."
After highlighting some statistics to back up his claim, he continued:
"You have, in my opinion, the greatest player of all time (LeBron). Steph Curry, who is one of the 15 greatest players of all time. And Kevin Durant, who is one of the 20 greatest players of all time. All fighting off Father Time at various stages of Father Time, as well as almost anyone ever has, and their teams are awful."
The Lakers are ranked 14th in the Western Conference standings (3-10), which is their worst start in franchise history. Golden State sits 12th in the standings after winning six of their first 15 games. The Brooklyn Nets have performed better in recent weeks but still hold the 11th spot in the East with a 7-9 record.
Steph Curry and LeBron James once dominated the NBA Finals
Although the Lakers and the Warriors are struggling, there was a time teams led by James and Curry dominated the league. For four consecutive seasons, they squared off against each other in the NBA Finals.
James and Curry faced off in the finals for the first time in 2015. That fixture ended in favor of the Warriors despite LBJ's brilliance.
The Cavs were determined to have their revenge the following year and they did. Despite going behind 3-1 in the series, the Cavs turned things around. They set a new league record after overturning a 3-1 deficit to hoist the 2016 championship.
It was arguably the worst collapse in league history, and the Warriors knew something had to give. Kevin Durant was immediately recruited by the Warriors to help with their future campaigns.
The move bore fruit for the Warriors as their next two meetings with the Cavs went as smoothly as possible. With KD, the Cavs won only one game in two finals appearances (2017 and 2018)
LeBron James had a longer run in the finals earlier in his career. He made four consecutive appearances with the Miami Heat from 2011 to 2014, winning two trophies in the process.
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