It’s the LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry Battle No One Asked For

After years of facing each other in the N.B.A. finals, James and Curry are competing just to make the playoffs. How did this happen?

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. For four straight seasons, whenever Stephen Curry and LeBron James played each other after the regular season, it was in the N.B.A. finals. This year, when the Los Angeles Lakers, led by James, and the Golden State Warriors, powered by Curry, meet on Wednesday night, it will be a game to get into the playoffs as a lowly No. 7 seed and to try to avoid the embarrassment of missing them altogether — something that would have been unthinkable in the fall.