When LeBron James' deal with the Los Angeles Lakers was confirmed last week, it transformed the look of the franchise into a team that many consider a title contender.

Despite the fact the Lakers haven't been to the playoffs for the past five seasons, the acquisition of LeBron has made them, in many people's eyes, one of the favourites in the Western Conference.

However, in order for the King to reach his ninth NBA Finals in a row, they'll have to dethrone the current back-to-back champions, the Golden State Warriors.

Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, via SB Nation, Magic Johnson said that the Lakers aren't scared of the Warriors. In fact, he wants to face them in next season’s Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers president of basketball operations said: “I love competition, and I love chasing the best. They’re the best so we’ll look forward to playing against them.”

He added: ”I think that we’ll look forward to that challenge. Everybody expects Golden State to win again but I would love to have the challenge to play them in the Western Conference Finals if we can get to that position.

"I’m a competitor, so I’m not scared of Golden State. I’m not worried about Golden State. They don’t keep me up at night.

"I know that we have a really solid team, a good team, and a tough-minded team. And we got guys now who are winners.

”LeBron James brings a championship mentality to our team. So does (Rajon) Rondo, he’s won a championship with Boston. And then JaVale McGee, he used to play for Golden State, he’s won two championships.”

While Johnson didn’t predict a victory for the Lakers against Golden State, but he's eager to see if his team can pull off something many consider impossible now that they have a four-time MVP winner on their side.

While the Lakers might not be able to beat the Warriors this season, they're going to give it their best shot in hopes of bringing back a championship to the city of Los Angeles for the first time since 2010.

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