Warriors Players Comment on LeBron James' '3-1 Lead' Halloween Prank
Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James' annual Halloween party made headlines this week—and not just for the always eclectic costumes.
James (or at least his party decorators) got in on reminding the Golden State Warriors they blew a 3-1 lead to the Cavaliers in last year's NBA Finals. There was a drum set with "3-1 Lead" spookily engraved, as well as cookies with the tombstones of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson:
While it was all in good fun, James probably enjoyed rubbing it in. Golden State won the 2015 Finals over LeBron and the Cavs, and prior to a game with them last January, Curry told reporters, "Hopefully, [the locker room] still smells a little bit like champagne."
The Warriors went on to a record-setting 73-win regular season. They were one game from their second straight title before the Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit behind James' herculean effort.
"I don't think they like that Steph [Curry] said that," Warriors guard Shaun Livingston told ESPN.com's Chris Haynes. "... Guys see it, and everybody feels their own way about it, but it just fuels everybody for the next time we play them.
"... It is what it is. All it is is more fuel for the fire. That's it. We're not going to say, 'All, that's great, we like it.' But it is what it is. It's part of the sport."
Kevin Durant, who signed with the Warriors last season after his Oklahoma City Thunder blew their own 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals, seemed a little less bothered:
"I wasn't here last year but I obviously know from being on the team, you don't want to see nothing like that [from Cavs]. Me personally, it's just jokes because you still have to play. Just like I'm sure there were so many jokes that went on about Cleveland and LeBron over the years, and you still have to play on the court. So none of that s--t matters until you duke it out on the court.
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The teams go head-to-head for the first time since the 2016 Finals on Christmas Day. Both are far and away the favorites to represent their respective conferences in June again, which would be the first time in NBA history there's been a trilogy Finals.
It's only a couple of games into the season, so fans can look forward to their regular-season matchup in the short term. However, nothing will be settled for either side until they get a rubber match.
We can all be thankful for one thing, though: LeBron is a heck of a lot better at bragging about rings now than when he tried rapping about it (warning: NSFW).
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