The similarities between LeBron James and Steph Curry are clear. Both players are global icons, have won multiple MVPs, and are bound for the Hall of Fame shortly after their legendary careers come to a close. There are no bigger names in basketball at the moment than LeBron and Steph, and rightfully so. They aren’t just the game’s two best players, but have led their teams to a highly-anticipated rematch in the NBA Finals.
These guys are living legends.
But that’s not to say the singular superstars of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors are cut from the same stylistic cloth. In a lengthy sit down with ESPN, Kobe Bryant explained the “diametric” differences between James, Curry, and their respective clubs.
*The relevant discussion begins at the 3:16 mark of the video above.
The way they approach the game is completely different. The systems that they operate in are very different as well – their styles of play are diametrically opposed to each other. It’s pretty interesting to see the force that Cleveland plays with, the physicality, versus the fluidity of a Golden State.
It seems Bryant, unsurprisingly, knows a thing or two about his former rivals.
Everything the Cavaliers and Warriors do stems from James and Curry. The physicality to which Bryant alludes is a direct reflection of a 6’8, 250-pound wrecking ball that plays every position on the floor, and the fluidity he references explains the rippling influence of a player that presents an imminent scoring threat the moment he steps inside half court.
James and Curry will be linked forever, and there’s even more commonalities to their games and personalities than most people realize. Their surreal playmaking exploits, for instance, are always overlooked when assessing the circumstances behind their dominance. James is far more humble than the sporting world thinks, and Curry is far more arrogant, too.
But the differences between these players are stark nonetheless, and should provide the league with another fascinating Finals matchup – assuming James and Cleveland rebound from a dispiriting loss in Game 1, of course.
