The regular season's final weekend

Henry Abbott and David Thorpe peer into the crystal ball

BY HENRY ABBOTT AND DAVID THORPE

DAVID: Stephen Curry and LeBron James meet again?

HENRY: The Warriors are essentially guaranteed to be in the play-in tournament; the Lakers need a minor miracle not to join them. We will write a lot more about all this early next week, but for now, I think the league is ready to pop some popcorn to watch the next chapter in this strange, long-simmering battle for league supremacy. 

LeBron has had so many rivals through his career, but Stephen Curry is this little guy who carved a dynasty into LeBron’s peak years. Kevin Arnovitz wrote beautifully about their rivalry in 2015: 

The game becomes still. LeBron holds the ball and surveys the scene over Steph's outstretched arms. It's two samurai standing with their swords drawn, both fully aware that whoever moves first forfeits the advantage. LeBron takes two jab steps in quick succession, one at 10 o'clock, the next at 2 o'clock, but Steph doesn't yield. With the shot clock set to expire, LeBron takes a singl…