The player that Warriors fans hate the most is James, who had the opportunity to build a dynasty team

July 9, in the long history of the NBA, the grudges and hatred between the Golden State Warriors and LeBron James are undoubtedly one of the most eye-catching chapters in recent years. For loyal Warriors fans, the name James has almost become an eternal pain in their hearts. Whenever this basketball superstar is mentioned, those heartbreaking moments always appear in the minds of Warriors fans - it was James' strong performance that shattered the Warriors' dream of establishing a dynasty again and again.

Time goes back to 2015, and under the leadership of Steve Cole, the Warriors swept the league with a tactical innovation of "Death Five Smalls". The rise of young players such as Curry, Thompson and Green makes the team look unstoppable. They ended the regular season with a stunning record of 67 wins and 15 losses, and made great strides in the playoffs, eventually facing the Cleveland Cavaliers led by James in the finals. However, the Cavaliers were suffering from serious injuries at the time, Love and Irving retreated one after another, and James almost fought against the entire Warriors alone. Despite his epic performances—average of 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists—he ended up losing 2-4. The Warriors won their first championship in 40 years and the dawn of the dynasty seems to have emerged.

But fate took a dramatic reversal in 2016. The Warriors created the best record in the regular season with 73 wins and 9 losses, and Curry became the first unanimous MVP in NBA history, and everything seems to be moving towards building a dynasty. In the finals, they met the Cavaliers again and took a 3-1 lead in the series. Just when the whole world believed that the championship was already in the warriors' possession, James led the Cavaliers to complete one of the greatest reversals in NBA Finals history. Especially in the tiebreak game, James contributed 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists triple-double data, and completed a key block against Iguodala at the last moment. This shot became one of the most classic defensive moments in NBA history. Irving's fatal three-pointer from the front shot in Curry completely shattered the Warriors' dynasty dream. For Warriors fans, this loss was not only a loss of the championship, but also a psychological blow - they were so close to establishing a dynasty, but were destroyed by James himself.

In 2017, with Durant's joining, the Warriors formed the unprecedented "Big Four" and their strength has reached a higher level. They met the Cavaliers led by James again in the finals. This time the Warriors did not give their opponents any chance and easily won the championship 4-1. In 2018, a similar plot was staged again, with the Warriors sweeping the Cavaliers 4-0 to complete the defending title. On the surface, the Warriors have established a brief dominance in the past two years, but many fans and experts believe that without the defeat in 2016, the Warriors could have completed the great achievements of four consecutive championships and achieved a true dynasty. And it was LeBron James who stopped all this.

James' "damage" to the Warriors is not only reflected in the field. In the player market, his presence has also indirectly affected the Warriors' reinforcement plan. In the summer of 2014, the Warriors intended to introduce James, who was a free agent at the time, but the latter chose to return to the Cavaliers, which led to the scene where the two teams met in the finals for four consecutive years. What's more interesting is that in the summer of 2018, when James was once again a free agent, the Warriors management did discuss the possibility of signing him, but in the end James chose the Los Angeles Lakers. This mentality of "what you can't get is always in turmoil" further deepens the complex emotions of Warriors fans towards James.

From the perspective of technical characteristics, James is almost a player born specifically to restrain the Warriors. His strong body can crush the Warriors' relatively thin defenders in the interior, his excellent passing vision can crack the Warriors' double-team defense, and his comprehensive offensive and defensive ability allows him to gain an advantage in any matchup. Especially in the 2016 finals, James' targeted defense against Curry greatly restricted the performance of the two-time MVP. To some extent, James is like the ultimate weapon tailored to defeat the Warriors.

In addition to the confrontation on the field, the personal grudges between James and the core players of the Warriors also add more drama to this history. The conflict between Green and James has almost become a regular show in the series, from trash talk on the court to social media confrontation off the court, the confrontation between the two is always full of gunpowder. After Durant joined the Warriors in 2017, his duel with James was also exaggerated as a symbol of "change of royal power". Even Curry, who has always been gentle, expressed his dissatisfaction with James in many interviews. These personal confrontations have made Warriors fans' disgust for James more concrete and personalized.

From a more macro perspective, James' confrontation with the Warriors also reflects the battle between basketball philosophy in different eras in the NBA. The Warriors represent the three-point revolution in the small ball era, emphasizing speed, space and teamwork; while James is the master of traditional basketball, relies on physical advantages and personal abilities to dominate the game. The collision of the two styles not only determines the title, but also shapes the development direction of modern basketball to a certain extent. Warriors fans' disgust for James is also an emotional projection to some extent to this conflict of basketball concepts.

As James grows older and the Warriors' core lineup ages, direct confrontations between the two teams are no longer as frequent as before. But whenever Warriors fans recalled the fear of being dominated by James, they still felt a burst of hidden pain in their hearts. Especially when seeing James win the championship again with the Lakers and the Warriors struggle with injuries and age, the assumption of "if James..." would become stronger.

Interestingly, this "hate" is often mutual. James himself also said in interviews many times that the confrontation with the Warriors was the most difficult challenge of his career, and it was this challenge that drove him to continuously break through himself. From this perspective, the Warriors and James actually formed a wonderful symbiotic relationship - each other made each other's greatest moments. Just as Jordan needs the "Bad Boys Legion" Pistons as their opponents, James' legendary career also needs strong opponents like the Warriors to highlight.