Three quick fallout on defeat of Warriors during defeat against Lakers in Las Vegas

The players watched Wednesday's Warriors-Lakers preparatory game, imagining all that this series could be, starting with what it never was.

A rivalry.

Oh, there's definitely a story with the Lakers, and six years ago, every day was hot and sunny. They had only five seasons without playoffs during their first 65 years and had every reason to be satisfied with the Boston Celtics' success.

There is also a story with the warriors, and until six years ago, it was gray and wet and sometimes a little ugly. They missed the playoffs more than they did, and it was only in the last five years that they felt like they could walk with the giants of the baskets.

And there is surely a story between LeBron James, Ltd. and the Warriors as their paths have crossed more often in a shorter time than ever since the first days of glory of the Celtics-Lakers in the 1960s.

But warriors and lakers have never been a significant rivalry. They have rarely been less than 10 games away from each other and the Lakers have won six of seven playoffs in which both teams played, the last time 28 years ago. Most of the time, the Lakers were part of the league's elite and the Warriors are listed in the Other category.

And the Lakers did not need the Warriors, any more than the Warriors needed the Lakers now.

But it's only history, and history is not what we're going through nowadays. The reality is that drama writers in the NBA want that to become a thing, and that only becomes the risk of the Warriors.

Warriors do not need a rival, not now. They own this league for the foreseeable future and need rivals as they need blown hamstrings.

And why, ask yourself, feeling a buzzing wave in the horizon? Because the only way for this to become a rivalry is for the Warriors to regress again this regular season and to regress again because they have injuries, an agenda, an internal conflict or a combination of what precedes.

You see, the Lakers are not yet a team of 60 wins by any rational thought. James has ceased to be a team of 30 wins and this mission is almost certainly accomplished. If nothing else, their time below the line of demarcation at the Western Conference is finally over.

But the Warriors are not a team of mirrors and, if they were, the obvious choice to be closer than it appears is Houston. Oklahoma City is still not complete even though Paul George has decided to stay at Russell Westbrook. San Antonio is saved. Utah is a difficult exit but an exit anyway. Denver is about to arrive, but not at the same level as even the Lakers. Portland is what Portland has been for years now. Minnesota is a hot mess and can only serve as a disruptive force if / when Jimmy Butler is traded.

In short, the Warriors are rivals of the Lakers only if something is wrong for them. Is any one ready for this scenario?

Yes, I did not think so.

If warriors need rivals, they can surely fend for themselves. The officials immediately come to mind, since Golden State easily won the technical race without fail a year ago and is already on the road for the test season this year.

Their attention span was a problem a year ago and, although they swear to know how to fight it, they have not yet been tested; they are therefore their own rival, their attention is great.

The impending free agencies of Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant could become a persistent irritant, if only because the issues regarding their pending free agency will spice up any fictional pressing.

But they do not need the Lakers in their daily chores, far from what the Lakers need the Warriors. Certainly, this dramatic smothering violates the first two laws of the narrative world, "The reality has nothing to do with it" and "The beast must be nurtured every day, even if it's the same thing with every time." Lord knows that their job of extracting the drama from the story three times in four years has been pretty thorough. I mean, their playoff record over the last four years equates to one of the 25 best regular seasons in history.

In addition, what is beating yet again LeBron James deserves, if it is that more yawn for disappointing suites? Mychal Thompson's serious prediction on the radio that the teams will play a seven-game series in the Western Conference final means they'll play 11 times this year (not counting the two home games). Training, the second of which will take place in San Jose on Friday night.) And will have played James 41 times in five years.

You are probably going for it, so that the warriors-pistons or the warriors-suns or the warriors-kings fail. But the Warriors would almost certainly prefer something different on the menu and something less imposing than 11 more annoying rounds with Leviathan that never goes away.