No, Stephen Curry and LeBron James aren't exactly "rivals" at this point. This isn't a criticism of either player, nor is this another insipid statement on how today's super-soft NBA has become too darn collegial for another old man's tastes. [ Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball ] Nah, it's just that they're not there yet; presuming they'll ever get there, as this league evolves. Even on the eve of their second consecutive Finals pairing (and possibly even after this June has finished), they just don't strike as foes in the same way that their MVP and superstar predecessors once did. Through little fault of their own. James and Curry were asked about as much during Wednesday's media day, in the lead up to Thursday's Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and both acknowledged as much : "You guys make rivals. I think it's great for the sport. It's great for all sports," he said. "I don't think me and Steph . . . when you talk about rivalries, you talk about Carolina-Duke, you talk about Ohio State-Michigan. It's hard to say LeBron and Steph. If there's a smaller scale or another word for a rival." Curry chose to pass on all that stuff on the eve of Game 1,...