SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Outside of the narrow narrative of two Western Conference teams playing for identity and clarity ahead of the postseason next week looms a larger picture.<\/p>\n
The holistic view of Thursday night\u2019s game between the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors includes a reality, something that Lakers coach JJ Redick called \u201cdark\u201d when asked about it before the game.<\/p>\n
Steph Curry, 38, and LeBron James, 41, might have already played their final NBA game against each other.<\/p>\n
Curry was a late scratch on Thursday with right knee injury management as the Warriors prepare for next week\u2019s four-team Play-In Tournament, hoping to keep their star guard fresh before needing to win a pair of win-or-go-home games. James, however, re-entered the Lakers\u2019 lineup after sitting out Tuesday night\u2019s blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> while nursing his left foot to remain fresh himself.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve been the faces of the league for a long, long time,\u201d Redick said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s been fun to watch as a fan, and it\u2019s been fun to be a part of it the last couple years.\u201d<\/p>\n The Warriors\u2019 Steve Kerr coached in four straight NBA Finals featuring James-vs.-Curry matchups during his storied career on the sidelines. He had the best view in the arena for the back and forth of Warriors-Cavaliers clashes as James and Curry often went shot for shot \u2013 Curry snatching three championships<\/a> while James brought one title back home to Cleveland<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think rivalries, in general, are defined by playoff matchups,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of the history of the league when you look at Wilt (Chamberlain) vs. Bill Russell. Or (Larry) Bird and Magic (Johnson). \u2026 Steph and LeBron has to be up there near the top.\u201d<\/p>\n Redick quipped that he\u2019s no longer an analyst on ESPN\u2019s morning sports-debate show \u201cFirst Take\u201d when asked if he could rank the James\/Curry rivalry.<\/p>\n Now, with James\u2019 future as a player with the Lakers (or any NBA team) unclear, Kerr might have coached his final game between the future first-ballot Hall of Famers. When asked what it is about the way Curry and James approach playing against each other that intrigues so many, Kerr referenced their respective love for basketball, their love for competition and their obsession with getting better despite being past typical NBA retirement age.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you combine that with incredible talent, which both guys have, Steph has the greatest hand-eye coordination of anybody on earth,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cAnd LeBron is probably the greatest athlete, physical specimen that I\u2019ve ever seen. So you get those qualities combined and this is the result. There\u2019s a reason they\u2019re both still going. They love it. They\u2019re obsessed with it.\u201d<\/p>\n SMART \u2018GETTING CLOSE\u2019 TO RETURN<\/p>\n Redick said before Thursday\u2019s game that guard Marcus Smart, who has missed nine consecutive games after being a day-of scratch against the Warriors, is nearing a return. Smart could return against the Phoenix Suns in the second half of the back-to-back set on Friday night in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n \u201cHe did another on-court workout this morning, and we\u2019re hopeful he\u2019ll be back,\u201d Redick said.<\/p>\n Backup center Jaxson Hayes, on the other hand, is day-to-day with left foot soreness after missing his second consecutive game on Thursday, Redick said.<\/p>\n