National Basketball Association

Lakers-Warriors: Who will win second-round series?

Published May. 1, 2023 5:27 p.m. ET

It's a matchup made in the basketball heavens — LeBron James. Stephen Curry. Anthony Davis. Klay Thompson.

And although it falls in the second round, Lakers-Warriors is perhaps the most-anticipated series of this entire postseason.

Which California titan will come out on top? Skip Bayless said Monday he's rolling with Tinseltown's finest.

"What did I see on Friday night? I saw a tour de force of the Lakers, and then I saw Steph after the game yesterday saying, and I quote, ‘They’re a completely different team since the trade deadline,' Bayless said on "Undisputed." "… It's why I keep saying [general manager] Rob Pelinka should be the Executive of the Year, because he made all the big little moves that added up to who the Lakers are right now, and he got out from under Russ [Westbrook], and he decided no more [Patrick Beverley].

"They do have a Jarred Vanderbilt, who's a bigger player, but I think he'll take Steph some. And I think Dennis Schröder will then go little on Steph, and … just try to hound him and dog him a little bit. … Is Steph gonna get his? Yeah, he's gonna get his … but I look for Anthony Davis to do to Kevon Looney what [Domantas] Sabonis could not do."

Shannon Sharpe agreed with his debate partner.

"They have this team that's beaten the Warriors three times since February 11 after the trade," he recalled.

"AD should do big numbers. LeBron should do big numbers. … I understand [Andrew] Wiggins is a good defender, but he ain't seeing LeBron cause he ain't got enough bricks in his back pocket. AD should eat Kevon Looney's lunch."

In addition, Sharpe couldn't help but to appreciate the historical rarity of the upcoming series.

"The only other rivalry that could rival this is Chamberlain-Russell. Bird and Magic only played twice — they played in ‘84, and then again in ’85. … This is what we got. We don't normally see historically great players. … Even though this is Lakers vs. Warriors, you still have two central characters in this plot, and that's Steph Curry and LeBron James. The NBA, you couldn't ask for a better plot. … The two most popular players in the NBA. When you talk about clicks and mentions, when you talk about jersey sales, when you talk about brand and name recognition, it's those two guys. It's gonna be something special."

The series tips off Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET.