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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – LeBron James wants to beat the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat want to beat LeBron James.
These shouldn’t surprise anyone, not with a title at stake.
Those looking for more acrimony than that, well, they may be disappointed.
The NBA Finals begin Wednesday night (Thursday Manila time) and the James vs. Miami is shaping up to be little more than a meeting of the mutual admiration society, albeit with a championship at stake. James is looking to take the Los Angeles Lakers back to the top of the mountain for the first time since 2010 and the Heat are looking to cap off a surprising season with their fourth crown.
“I’m here for a reason and one reason only, and that’s to compete for a championship,” James said on the eve of Game One of his 10th final, where he will seek ring No. 4.
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James was asked in different ways Tuesday about his time in Miami, his thoughts on coach Erik Spoelstra, his take on Heat president Pat Riley. He never took the bait, speaking only fondly during the four years he spent in Miami and the two titles the Heat won during that stay.
“Being a part of that culture allowed me to grow, it allowed me to see what it takes not only to compete for a championship, but also to win a championship,” said James. “So it definitely put me in a position where I knew what was needed. I saw what was needed. But also, I fit into that culture as well because of how hard I worked. It was a perfect match for those four years.”
James left Miami and the finals have been an almost annual stop since then; this is his fifth title round appearance in the six seasons following his tenure with the Heat. It’s the first time Miami has returned since he left. During that time, the Heat did a few rebuilds a couple of times and used 60 different players in those six seasons. Miami also suffered the departure, return and then retirement of Dwyane Wade and the premature end of Chris Bosh’s career for health reasons.
Spoelstra is devising a game plan in the hopes of keeping James under some sort of control, of course. That doesn’t mean he didn’t speak reverently when asked about the Lakers’ best player.
“I think it’s a true testament to his greatness to be able to sustain this kind of success year after year,” Spoelstra said. “Different uniforms, new players, and new teams chasing him. It’s a true testament to that commitment. He’s seen it all. At this point in his career, it’s all about winning. And his ability to do what he does at his age is unbelievable rare. But there’s a lot of work behind the scenes to be able to maintain that.
The feeling is mutual.
James on Spoelstra: “I’m not going to sit here and act like I don’t know what Spo is about, because it’s very good, if not great.”
James on Riley: “This league is not the same without Riles. He’s a great guy, a great motivator, someone who just knows what it takes to win.”
There is no shadow thrown there.
Both teams haven’t endured much bubble trouble: The Heat and Lakers are 12-3 each in the playoffs. The Heat are the first No. 5 seed to reach the final and they weren’t exactly surprised to see that James is the one standing between them and the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“It’s been like this for a long time. If you want to win, you have to go through a team led by LeBron James,” said Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who will go to his first final in his first season in Miami. “At the end of the day, that’s what it usually comes down to … You’re going to take the same test over and over again until you pass, and that test is LeBron James.”
Lakers star Anthony Davis is in the final for the first time, so he’ll likely be dealing with a bit of nerves Wednesday night. Butler acknowledged that he, too, would be doing the same.
The Lakers are comfortably favored. Davis doesn’t expect it to be easy.
“Miami is a special team,” Davis said. “It’s a team that a lot of people thought shouldn’t be here, but it’s a team that fights. It’s a team that’s tough. They make big plays, they have big players on their team, guys who are in their first year, second year they are playing hugely for them right now with a lot of confidence. “
Get over the notions of James vs. Heat and the series has more to offer.
Davis will collide with Miami’s rising star Bam Adebayo. There will be times when veteran point guards, Rajon Rondo for the Lakers, Goran Dragic for the Heat, will also face off. Miami has young shooters in Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson; the Lakers have veterans like JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard ready to work on the low end.
Adding it all up, Heat captain Udonis Haslem said “it’s going to be an incredible matchup.”
“I know the narrative that people will try to preach,” Haslem, the only player on Miami’s final six teams, told The Associated Press. “But I want my guys to understand that it’s not about LeBron … it’s about the Heat versus the Lakers. LeBron played here. This has nothing to do with it. None of these guys were here when that happened. It’s the Miami Heat. against the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s it. “
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