LeBron Calls Warriors 'Dangerous' with Steph Curry and Hypes Kawhi, Clippers in New Video
Prior to the start of the NBA postseason play-in tournament on Tuesday, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James broke down some of the play-in teams.
Speaking on his Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash (beginning at the 1:40 mark), James called the Golden State Warriors "dangerous" now that Stephen Curry is back in the fold:
James went on to mention the Warriors' big-game experience as a reason why they could potentially get into the playoff field and make some noise, saying, "Championship DNA, championship pedigree on the court and on the sidelines."
LeBron also talked about the Los Angeles Clippers and how the health of Kawhi Leonard has helped make them get to this point, saying, "Obviously everything depends on Kawhi's health, and for this season, the guy's been healthy as s--t and has played some of the best basketball he's played in his career. And you've got championship DNA on the court with Kawhi, and you've got a championship coach."
With the Clippers as the No. 9 seed and the Warriors as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, they will face off in a win-or-go-home game on Wednesday.
The winner of that game will then face the loser of Tuesday's game between the No. 7 Phoenix Suns and No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs.
Regarding the Clips vs. Dubs matchup, James said, "Neither of those two teams are gonna shy away from the moment."
As evidenced by their 37-45 record, the Warriors have had their fair share of struggles this season, but much of that can be attributed to Curry missing 39 games due to injury.
He returned for four of the final five games of the regular season, though, and his mere presence gives Golden State a legitimate chance to reach the playoffs.
Along with teammate Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr, Curry is a four-time NBA champion, and the 38-year-old veteran continues to play at a high level when healthy, averaging 26.6 points, 4.7 assists, 4.4 three-pointers made and 3.6 rebounds per game this season.
As for the Clippers, they seemed like they were dead to rights after a 6-21 start, but they managed to right the ship and finish with a winning record at 42-40.
Leonard is undoubtedly the biggest reason why, as the 34-year-old averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game to go along with 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.6 three-pointers made and 1.9 steals.
Entering the 2025-26 campaign, Leonard had played 60 or fewer games in seven of the previous eight seasons, but he reached the 65-game mark this season, making him eligible for postseason awards.
The seven-time All-Star has a legitimate shot at being named to the All-NBA First Team because of the manner in which he willed the Clippers to this spot.
Leonard won an NBA championship and an NBA Finals MVP with both the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors, plus Clippers head coach Ty Lue coached LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers to a championship in 2016.
The stakes couldn't be much higher for the Warriors and Clippers on Wednesday, as the losing team will see their season come to an end, but LeBron's comments suggest that he expects both squads to put their best foot forward with everything on the line.
