You Guys Can #EmbraceDebate All You Want But You Will Missing The Bigger Point Of This Lakers v Warriors Series

Ezra Shaw. Getty Images.

I know my job here is to make fun of people and spew bold predictions with a puffed out chest and air of undeserved confidence. It's not just the Barstool way but the way of the media en mass these days. I understand that nuance and depth have zero place in sports discourse any more. That shit doesn't fit in a tweet or get people to engage with a 20 second video clip, supercharging its reach with the algorithm overlords.

Despite all that I want to take a few minutes and wax poetic about the Lakers and Warriors second round series that is starting tonight. Perhaps it's because I'm a Cavs fan and the pinnacle of my sports fandom was mired in a four year war between these two. Perhaps it's just my love for hoops as a whole. Or maybe I'm just a cuck for some prima donna athletes. But I cannot fucking wait for this series. For me it's must watch television every single game.

This is possibly our last shot to watch two of the all time greats go head-to-head. Two all-time heroes or all-time villains, depending on where your allegiance lies. Two guys that each helped define an era in their own unique way. Two pillars of NBA history that we will certainly miss once they are gone.

Sure, Draymond Green is a fucking idiot, but it's almost impossible to disagree with him here. We're living in the twilight of a golden era of NBA basketball. You can debate whether it is the best era all you want but there is no debating it's influence and star power. And two of it's largest names will take the court against each for what feels like the 50th time.

We're in the midst of Jordan's final years in Chicago except this time we realize it. The god-like level of play we have enjoyed for the past decade is slowly eroding away into memories. And as fun as players like Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, SGA, and Luka Doncic are…they're never be mentioned in the same breath as the greats.

LeBron and Steph are already in that conversation and still have a few seasons left to pad their resumes. We root against them and love to see them fail, that's part of the fun of sports. But what happens when they're finally gone? We have become so accustomed to greatness on the court are we now taking it for granted?

The focus for the next few weeks will be on legacy and who is better than who in the pantheon of all-time greats. Would a Steph series win move him ahead of LeBron? Is he already ahead of LeBron? Does it matter if one guy moved around the NBA to accumulate his career accolades while the other stayed in one city? How many dicks will Draymond punch?

There will be loud opinions on both sides. There will be people dunking on each other on Twitter after each game. There will be pundits and shit talkers screaming their thoughts from the mountain tops on a daily basis.

But below the crusty surface of all that #embracedebate bravado is the very clear reality that we are watching two of the best basketball players of all time in what could possibly be the final battle of their careers. These two know each other's tendencies, they know each others capabilities, and they know each other's weaknesses. The very few of them that they have.  

In an era where outwardly respecting for your opponent is treated as soft, these two take an old school tact and heap praise on one another. Remnants of bygone era, replaced now with IG memes and shitposting about each other on Twitter. 

I've never been much into the GOAT debate anyway. I find it fruitless and a bit like chasing your tail. I think you'd have a better chance of changing your Facebook ranting insane uncle's political views than you would a Steph or LeBron fan's. For my money there is no worse conversation to get dragged in to by a drunk guy at a bar. When someone does try to ignite that nonsense I usually tell them Vlade Divac will always be my GOAT and walk away.

So I'll be tuning that shit out for the next few weeks and just enjoying whatever happens on the court. In a few years we will see how these two stack up all-time. For now I'm just going along for the ride.