Steve Kerr sees a lot of similarities between LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr on the sideline against the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is one of the few to have had the pleasure of coaching both LeBron James and Stephen Curry. James and Curry dazzled once again when the Warriors took on the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, and Kerr spoke about the similarities between them in his postgame press conference.

“Watching them as teammates this summer gave me a greater appreciation for their greatness and really how much alike they are,” Kerr said.

“In terms of work ethic, passion for the game, respect for the game, and respect for each other. These are pretty incredible matchups and we should all savor them while they’re still happening.”

Kerr, of course, got to coach James for the first time at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Team USA. He loved the experience and it made him appreciate LeBron’s greatness even more.

James and Curry are the two greatest players of their generation, and as Kerr stated, we should enjoy these incredible matchups between these two, as there won’t be too many more of them. Coming into this game, the Lakers had the upper hand over the Warriors this season, having won the three previous meetings, but they were unable to sweep the season series.

Curry was the reason why, as he racked up 37 points (10-21 FG), three rebounds, and six assists. The 37-year-old made some big plays down the stretch to ensure the Warriors came away with a 123-116 win.

As for James, he had 33 points (10-15 FG), five rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and one block against the Warriors. The 40-year-old had 11 points in the fourth quarter and nearly helped the Lakers pull off a 16-point comeback win.

This result led to the Lakers dropping to 46-30 and the Warriors improving to 45-31. These teams are now fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Western Conference, and they’d face off in the first round of the playoffs if they remain there.

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Curry and James have had some epic clashes in the postseason over the years, having faced off four times in the NBA Finals (2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018) and once in the Western Conference Semifinals (2023).

Curry has a 3-2 lead as of now, but it was James who emerged victorious in their last playoff series in six games. If they do face off again this year, the series might end up going the distance.

In the first half of this season, it had seemed like James and especially Curry’s days of competing for titles might be over. The Lakers were good but not great, while the Warriors were languishing down at 11th in the West at one point. The fortunes of both franchises then changed, though, thanks to some blockbuster trades.

Stephen Curry leads Warriors past LeBron James and Lakers - The Washington Post

The Lakers acquired Luka Doncic days before the trade deadline while the Warriors landed Jimmy Butler on it. Doncic and James have helped elevate their teams and have given James and Curry another shot at winning a title.

The Lakers and Warriors could well be the biggest threats to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West this season. The Thunder remain the favorites to get to the Finals from the conference, but both Curry and James are capable of making life difficult for them, now that each has a strong supporting cast.