The Golden State Warriors were dealt a historic blow on Friday night courtesy of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. For the first time since the Dubs drafted Stephen Curry as the No. 7 overall pick in 2009, Friday night's Game 6 defeat marked the only time a Western Conference team has defeated Golden State in a seven-game series. It's also the first time Steve Kerr lost a series that wasn't in the NBA Finals.
19-0. This was Steve Kerr's NBA Playoffs record against West teams entering Friday's matchup. LeBron and Co. just besmirched that immaculate record by handing Kerr and the Warriors with their first series loss outside the Finals in the past eight years (h/t NBA insider Marc Stein on Twitter). Talk about defying history for the Lakers.
Then again, LA came into this one as the favorite after losing Game 5 in Golden State. The Lakers were still up 3-2 in the series entering Game 6, and they made sure to deliver on the expectations the fans had of them. LeBron and Co. did much more than that, actually, by blowing out Curry and the Warriors from the get-go. The defending champs did all they can to remain within striking distance, but in the end, they were just overpowered by a hungrier Lakers side on both ends of the floor.
While the Lakers are now headed to the West Finals to face the Denver Nuggets, the Warriors will have a very interesting offseason ahead. Some key personnel decisions need to be made, and it's very much possible that we see a (relatively) new-look Dubs side in 2023-24.
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