OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Curry called LeBron James the Cavaliers' "Mr. Everything" who willed his team back to the Finals.
James said the Warriors were one of the "best teams ever assembled," and then they added Kevin Durant.
So, yes, as the Cavs and Warriors get set for their fourth straight Finals with Game 1 Thursday, the two sides know each other.
"We know how great LeBron is and what he's been able to do," Curry said Wednesday. "Statistically impacting the game, the stuff that maybe -- it's hard to say this, but stuff that doesn't show up in the stat sheet, even though most of the time it does, the stuff that he ...- the confidence he gives the other guys, I guess, when he's out there on the floor."
In other words, James makes the other Cavs tick. Who would argue? Certainly not anyone who's played in or witnessed any of the last three Finals.
James averaged a triple double in the 2017 Finals, which was won by the Warriors in five games. In 18 total Finals games against Golden State, James is averaging 32.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 9.2 assists. He has 10 straight double doubles in the Finals, is the all-time Finals leader in triple doubles (nine) and his third in Finals history in points (1,247) and assists (339).
At age 33 and in his 15th season, James has played in each of the Cavs' 100 games. He'll set a new career high in Game 1. He leads the NBA this postseason in (34.0 ppg) and double doubles (13). He's scored 40 or more points seven times already in the 2018 playoffs.
"Yeah, it's remarkable," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "You think back five years ago when he was with Miami, they were playing the Spurs in The Finals, and the Spurs were going underneath on every screen just daring him to shoot. Contrast that to now where he's shooting fadeaway threes from 30 feet to close games out."
If you were wondering, James is 8-of-15 on 3s in his last two games.
Of all James has accomplished this season, his durability may be the most remarkable, given his age and NBA mileage. By now you know he played every minute of Game 7 against Boston, something coach Tyronn Lue said James would not do early in this series (then again, Lue said the same thing before Game 7). James also logged 46 minutes in Game 6.
James suffered a leg injury in the fourth quarter of Game 6 against the Celtics (didn't stop him from scoring 14 in the fourth quarter of that game or playing all 48 minutes in Game 7). Up until that point, he said, this season was the best he's ever felt.
"I've been blessed to be available," James said. "That's what I take pride in more than anything, is being available to my teammates every single day.
"I think I've missed one or two practices a (year) because when you live in northeast Ohio and you have four seasons, you will get sick," James continued. "But I've been available for my teammates and been a leader to my teammates all year, and I've put in the work."
This is James' eighth straight Finals. He's the sixth to do it. But he's 3-5 lifetime in the Finals (counting a 2007 loss to the Spurs), and 1-2 against the Warriors. The Cavs are historically large underdogs in this series.
James didn't hold back on Wednesday while talking about how good he thinks the Warriors are.
"You look at it, they've got four Hall of Famers on their team in Klay (Thompson), Dray (Draymond Green), Steph and K.D," James said. "They've got a Finals MVP (Andre Iguodala) that comes off their bench. They've got a number one draft pick, or I think -- what was Shaun Livingston? One or two when he came out (fourth pick in 2004)? Fought back, and he comes off their bench. They've got an All-Star power forward in David West who comes off their bench.
"You know, it's just like whoever they kind of suit up or whoever they decide to be a part of what they've got going on over here is just a really, really high IQ basketball player and knows how to play the game of basketball."
James wasn't asked, nor did he offer, what he thinks of the Cavs' chances in this series. He said playing against the Warriors is "fun."
"It's truly fun to know when I'm done playing the game of basketball to know that I played against some of the greatest teams that ever played, ever been assembled," he said. "And this is one of them."