The NBA couldn’t dream of a better scenario for their play-in tournament. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors. LA vs. The Bay, and two of the greatest players of all time going head-to-head for a playoff berth.
While the format has its flaws, you can’t deny that the 7/8 Western Conference game was a massive success, and perhaps one of the games with more rating throughout the whole NBA season.
Everybody was talking about this game for the past week or so, as it would give us another chance to witness LeBron James going at it vs. his biggest rival of the past half-decade: Stephen Curry.
Lakers Beat Warriors For The 7th Seed: Funniest Memes And Reactions
The Warriors hit the ground running in the first half, leading by 13 points after two quarters thanks to a magnificent performance from Curry and dreadful shooting from James and Anthony Davis.
Then, Frank Vogel’s side took it up a notch in the second half, with Alex Caruso playing his heart out on the defensive end and their two superstars stepping up when it mattered the most, including a game-icing three-pointer from The King after getting poked in the eye.Needless to say, that prompted plenty of memes reactions on social media:
LeBron: “You gonna live in Brentwood or Beverly Hills when you come to the Lakers?”
Steph: “Ladera Heights” pic.twitter.com/BifQtW5XFA
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) May 20, 2021
What LeBron thinks happened to him pic.twitter.com/Mj0kzw3wPp
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 20, 2021
This is really boutta be the next LeBron meme.. ���� pic.twitter.com/Ro7AFmPNHb
— Idk (@TampaCheesehead) May 20, 2021
Bazemore, Wiggins, and curry on the warriors rn pic.twitter.com/cU4jk2OYkF
— Sruji������ (@sruj4n_) May 20, 2021
“TIED GAME. SHOT CLOCK RUNNING DOWN. NOT EVEN A REAL PLAYOFF GAME. IM SORRY SHANNON THAT IS NOT A CLUTCH SHOT BY LEBRON!” pic.twitter.com/DAUo44W3Re
— Eddie Gonzalez (@bansky) May 20, 2021
LeBron James after the Lakers and the Warriors game: pic.twitter.com/VTUxervOjR
— In My Mind (@MeAloneInMyMind) May 20, 2021
Lakers fans every time curry gets the ball #GSWvsLAL pic.twitter.com/8LqjWgOcN9
— Funlistic (@Funlistic) May 20, 2021
How Wiggins guarding LeBron pic.twitter.com/G3BgS0frrZ
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) May 20, 2021
Lebron in the Lakers Locker Room rn: pic.twitter.com/ypXw8busAG
— RDCWORLD BURNER (@rdcburner) May 20, 2021
LeBron after beating Steph to get the Lakers in the playoffs pic.twitter.com/tb9eM32mDg
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) May 20, 2021
Lebron tonight: pic.twitter.com/Bi58XJXOvI
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) May 20, 2021
Skip Bayless after LeBron hit that three#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/254zxQTScF
— RagelessGamer (@RagelessGamer) May 20, 2021
Now, the reigning champions’ path to back-to-back rings is settled. They’ll need to get past Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns in the first round, while the Warriors will have to battle the Memphis Grizzlies for the final spot in the playoffs.
Regardless of who won and who lost last night, this was an instant classic. James had a triple-double, Curry scored 30+ again, and they showed why they’re two of the greatest players of all time when their teams needed them the most. That’s playoff basketball right there and the best part is that we still haven’t seen the last of either of them.
