The Warriors' Real Rival Isn't Cleveland Anymore
Tonight's preseason game against the Lakers carries no stakes on the scoreboard, but it pits Golden State against the team that replaced Cleveland as its measuring stick, and arrives with a far older Warriors roster than the one that earned that rivalry.
The Warriors host the Lakers tonight in a preseason game with the record still 0-0 for both sides. The matchup revives a rivalry that only turned serious in 2023, when the Lakers ended a run of Finals trips that once defined this era.
Why the Lakers, not Cleveland
By 2023, the Lakers had taken over as the sharper rival, eliminating Golden State in the conference semifinals, the first time since 2014 the Warriors lost in the playoffs before reaching the Finals. Cleveland's run with Golden State belongs to an earlier roster; the Lakers' claim on the rivalry is newer and still being written on nights like tonight.
A much older roster carries it now
Curry is 38 and in his 17th season. Jimmy Butler III is 37, Draymond Green 36. Kristaps Porzingis, the newest name meant to anchor the frontcourt, is already out indefinitely with a health issue Anthony Slater reported September 28. Across from them, JJ Redick's Lakers went 53-29 last season behind Luka Doncic, who averaged 33.5 points, and Austin Reaves, who averaged 23.3.
A measuring stick without the stakes
Neither team's record means anything tonight; both sit at 0-0 after their preseason openers, with Golden State coming off a 101-104 loss at the Clippers. What tonight actually shows is whether Kerr's read-and-react style, the same approach that carried the 2015-16 title group, still holds up when the names running it are a decade older and the Lakers' core is a decade younger, and the gap starts right there too.
Have the Lakers been a tough matchup for the Warriors lately?
Yes. The Lakers eliminated Golden State in the 2023 conference semifinals, the first time since 2014 the Warriors lost in the playoffs before reaching the Finals.
Does tonight's preseason game against the Lakers matter?
Not for the record, which sits at 0-0 for both teams. It matters as the first look at how this aging Warriors core plays against the rival that ended its old run.
