"We don’t appreciate the current"- Draymond Green is not taking another matchup against LeBron James for granted

On Sunday, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings 120-100 in Game 7 of their first-round series, which allowed them to advance to the Western Conference semifinals against the LA Lakers. The Warriors have a well-known history with James and LA Lakers, having matched up with his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the NBA Finals for four consecutive years, winning three titles from 2015 to 2018. Although neither James nor the Warriors' core is currently operating at their peak, Green believes that fans should still appreciate them while they can.

“What I will say is stop saying to turn the page on us so fast. Stop trying to turn the page on Bron so fast,” Green said following Game 7 against Sacramento.

“We get so caught up in what’s the next thing that we don’t appreciate the current. Then you get to the next thing and look back like, ‘Man, I wish we still had that. I wish we could still see this.’ So for me and our guys, we’re gonna appreciate this every step of the way.”

The Round 2 matchup between the Warriors and Lakers will likely be one of the most-watched playoff series ever, given the star power involved. However, considering the age of James (38), Green (33), Warriors stars Steph Curry (35), and Klay Thompson (33), this could also be their last playoff matchup. So, as Green pointed out, fans should probably appreciate the rivalry between James and the Warriors while they still can.

Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors’ playoff record against LeBron James

Former Cleveland Cavaliers superstar forward LeBron James and Golden State Warriors superstar point guard Steph Curry

Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors have matched up against LeBron James in the playoffs four times. The Warriors defeated James’ Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 in the 2015 NBA Finals. James and the Cavs then got their revenge in the 2016 finals, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3. However, the Warriors responded by adding superstar forward Kevin Durant to their championship core. They then won the 2017 (4-1) and 2018 finals (4-0) over James’ Cavs rather handily.

In total, the Curry-led Warriors are 15-7 against James in the playoffs.

However, most would agree that the playing field is a lot more even entering the Warriors’ Round 2 matchup against James’ LA Lakers. This comes as the Lakers (43-39, seventh in the West) and Warriors (44-38, sixth in the West) finished just one game apart in the regular season.

Golden State also lost its season series against LA 3-1.

Game 1 of the Lakers and Warriors’ Western Conference semifinals series will take place on Tuesday in San Francisco.