So much for sour grapes.

LeBron James isn't playing competitive basketball in May for the first time since 2005. Despite sitting at home and watching the action as other teams fight for a title and other players stake their claim as the best in the world, though, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar still seems happy to be watching the playoffs unfold – even for Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

After the Warriors, behind 33 second-half points from Steph Curry, beat the Houston Rockets on Friday to advance to their record-tying fifth straight Western Conference Finals, James indirectly congratulated his longtime NBA Finals foe, and fellow three-time champion, on twitter.

Future Hall-of-Famer Dwyane Wade, who retired after the regular season, followed his close friend's lead, but in a far more incisive manner.

Asked about the praise from James and Wade on the post-game podium, Curry opted against speaking at length. The word he did say, though, spoke volumes about both his mindset amid an up-and-down postseason and the respect he has for his fellow champions.

“I've heard a lot of noise this series. I'll just leave it at that,” he said, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. “I know what I'm capable of. I don't need any extra motivation. My confidence never wavers. Champions recognize champions.”

Curry went scoreless in the first half of Game 6, adding fuel to the fire that suggests Kevin Durant, who's suffering from a calf strain and didn't play on Friday, is the driving force behind Golden State's success. He came up biggest when it mattered most, though, scoring 23 points in the fourth to lead his team to one of its most impressive victories in years.