Lakers, Warriors share global appeal, superstar talent, but Game 1 showcases their contrast in styles of play

SAN FRANCISCO — Championship pedigree. Superstar talent. Celebrity fanbases. On the surface, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors aren’t all that different. Yes, the Lakers have a much richer and deeper history of winning, but over the past decade it’s hard to argue that the Warriors have not at least come close to being the Lakers’ equal in terms of exposure and traction with the global NBA fanbase.

It’s the reason that all we’ve talked about for the past two days is Lakers vs. Warriors, LeBron James vs. Steph Curry, SoCal vs. NorCal. Game 1 lived up to the hype, and then some, as the Lakers staved off a late Warriors run to earn a 117-112 victory, stealing home-court advantage in the process.

Anthony Davis was otherworldly — pounding, finessing and pirouetting his way to 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in nearly 44 minutes. Curry had just 13 points on 14 shots in the first three quarters, before more than doubling his total in an electric final frame to finish with 27 points. James never seemed to truly assert himself offensively, but still put up 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, a credit to his ability to affect winning even during an “off night” at 38 years old with a bum foot.

Davis joined Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Shaquille O’Neal as the only Lakers to ever put up at least 30 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game.

“He continues to show why he’s one of the best players that we have in this league,” James said of Davis after the win. “It’s a treat for us to be able to have such a dynamic player that can not only go out and get you 30 and 20, but also command the paint defensively, can switch out the guards, also get you five assists, as well.”

What stood out above all during a tense Game 1, however, was that despite any similarities between the two franchises, these versions of the Lakers and Warriors are diametrically opposed in terms of basketball style.

The Warriors made 21 3-pointers. The Lakers made six.

The Lakers shot 29 free throws. The Warriors shot six.

The Lakers shot 55 percent on their 2-point attempts. The Warriors shot 42 percent.

While Golden State dazzled early with its ball-movement-heavy, read-and-react, deep-shooting offense, the Lakers responded with good old-fashioned bully ball, as Davis scored 14 points in the first quarter on 7-for-8 shooting, with every attempt but one coming in the paint.

If the Warriors are an improvised jazz concert, the Lakers are a thumping track of booming, metronomic bass — steady and unrelenting. It didn’t help that the Warriors had just come off a seven-game jazzfest with essentially a carbon copy of its offense in the Sacramento Kings. It must have looked like the Lakers were playing a different sport.

“Definitely an adjustment, totally different styles of play,” said Warriors center Kevon Looney, who pulled down a career-high 23 rebounds on Tuesday, his fourth 20-plus-rebound performance in his last six games. “The Kings offense is very similar to ours. Lakers play a little different. So definitely quick turnaround for me.”

If you saw the Game 1 box score with the final score scrubbed out, you’d be convinced the Warriors won the game. They only had eight turnovers, generally a tell-tale sign that Golden State has played well. They shot 40 percent from 3-point range. They collected more offensive rebounds than Los Angeles. That is essentially the formula for success that Steve Kerr has preached since day one of the playoffs. Not to mention that Jordan Poole, who was borderline unplayable at times during the Sacramento series, put up 21 points and six assists on 6-for-11 3-point shooting and was a team-high plus-seven in his 30 minutes.

There is one additional area of focus, however, in which Golden State failed miserably — keeping the Lakers off the free throw line. The 29 to six disparity is so glaring that it begs the Golden State fan base to complain about the officiating. But really, they should be complaining about Davis, who instilled the fear of God into every Warrior who dared enter the lane, either forcing them to reconsider or swatting the ball into oblivion. Perhaps most impressively, he did all this while committing just two personal fouls, resulting in the minuscule Golden State number from the line.

“It’s kind of deceiving. You feel like you have a good look to get over the top and he gets a fingertip on it,” Curry said of Davis. “Can’t be stubborn thinking you can just keep going in there. You’ve still got to be able to drive and put pressure on the rim, but you can do it in a creative way.”

On the other side, the Lakers’ propensity for the charity stripe was surely at the top of the scouting report — they were the runaway leader in free throws per game during the regular season — and yet even the Warriors admitted that many of the fouls they made could have been prevented, an area which they’ll need to clean up for Thursday’s Game 2.

These two teams know who they are, which should help make for a fantastic series. What the Lakers earn at the free throw line, the Warriors can more than make up for with 3-pointers, where they led the league in attempts and makes per game while finishing second in percentage during the regular season. 

The NBA’s dream second-round matchup has come to fruition between THE marquee NBA franchises of the past two decades, and yet they couldn’t be more different. It makes for great drama, constant adjustments and all of the star power you can ask for. Neither team is going to change its DNA, so it’s just a matter of whose style will prevail over the course of a seven-game series.

“The biggest thing for us is, again, not to get happy, stay humble, respect our opponent, but also know that there’s a ton of work left to be done,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said after the game. “It’s not the first one — not the first with the greatest performance individually. We just got to keep stacking, keep stacking days, keep coming up and putting our best foot forward.”