Lakers take 1-0 series lead with history on their side

Historically, the Los Angeles Lakers have had the upper hand over the Golden State Warriors whenever the two California teams met in the NBA Playoffs. The purple and gold are tied with their rivals in Boston for the most titles in NBA history with 17. Meanwhile, the men from the bay trail not so closely at second with seven chips of their own.

The two franchises have squared off seven times in the postseason (1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1977, 1987, 1991), with the Lakers winning six of those meetings. The Dubs’ lone series win came in 1967, when the San Francisco Warriors starring Rick Berry and Nate Thurmond, swept Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Gail Goodrich in a best-of-five series. The Warriors would end up in the NBA World Championship Series but lose to Wilt Chamberlain’s 76ers in six games.

Since then, the Lakers have been on a tear, winning multiple series against the Warriors and collecting titles as the dynasty in Los Angeles started to materialize. Their last postseason meeting was in the first round of the 1991 Playoffs when Golden State’s Run TMC era faced the Showtime Lakers. At the end of it, Magic Johnson and company proved too much for the Warriors to handle, as they won the series 4-1.

It took 32 years for these two teams to meet again in the playoffs. This time, Golden State has its own legacy and an ongoing reign that looks to continue at all costs. On the other end is a newly-built Lakers team whose success has fluctuated in recent years.

Need I mention the two main characters here? LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Born four years apart in the same hospital in Ohio. Two champions and future Hall-of-Famers who have played important roles in each other’s stories. In three of the four Finals series against each other, the Warriors have bettered LeBron’s Cavaliers, who came back from being down 3-1 in 2016.

Monday night’s matchup may have been one of the most important opening games in NBA history. It took LeBron and the Lakers a 180 turn in the regular season, winning the Play-in tournament and surging past a scrappy Grizzlies team to get there. On the other hand, Curry dropped 50 in Game 7 against the best offense in the league to avoid elimination.

At the end of 48 minutes, the Lakers decisively won 117-112 and gained a narrow yet valuable lead early in the series. Anthony Davis’ 30 points and 23 rebounds paved the way for LA. Any night that a team gets to hold Curry under 30 points is a win, and that’s what the Lakers’ defense did. Curry had 27 points, while LeBron had 22.

Monday’s matchup showed that this series is a battle between the Warriors’ outside onslaught and Davis’ interior dominance. It inevitably becomes a question of who can better contain the other’s biggest strength. The 14 ties and 17 lead changes imply that if Game 1 foreshadowed what’s to come, fans better buckle up.

Game 7 of the series will be on Thursday at 9 PM EST.