LeBron James not bothered by past failures; Looks forward towards the NBA Finals – NBA News
As LeBron James looks to yet another NBA Finals appearance, he is putting the past behind him. James has had one of the most accomplished and outstanding playoff careers among all the NBA players.
But there is a slight glitch. He has not performed up to his standards in the previous two NBA Finals appearances and as the Heat get ready for yet another challenge in the shape of the Oklahoma City Thunder,
James admits that he wants to forget his history at the NBA Finals and look towards the future only.
“At the end of the day in this series I'm going to play my game and try to do whatever it takes on both ends and make plays," James said at Chesapeake Energy Arena. "Whatever the results, I'm going to be satisfied
with that. I'm going to be happy with it because I know I'm going to give it my all,” said James on Monday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena during media interaction.
This is the second appearance in the NBA Finals in two years for LeBron James. Although it speaks volumes about the resolve and talent possessed by James and the Miami Heat, last year’s NBA Finals against the
Dallas Mavericks is a series that James would want to eliminate from his memory. After averaging 25.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists in the conference finals, James only managed 17.6 points in the Finals against the Mavericks. In game 4 of that series,
James had 8 points for the night, arguably the worst performance of his career.
"I didn't play well. I didn't make enough game-changing plays that I know I'm capable of making. I felt like I let my teammates down,” said James referring to last year’s finals.
His other appearance in the NBA Finals was way back in 2007 when he led the Cleveland Cavaliers against the San Antonio Spurs. James was coming off a remarkable season where he had taken a mediocre team to the
heights of success.
In the conference finals that year, he almost averaged a triple double per game. However, things changed again in the NBA Finals where the Spurs whitewashed the Cavaliers. James averaged 22 points per game and
shot just 36% from the field. He was not criticized for his performance in that series since he had already achieved enough by leading the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, who were not a complete team by any standards. Also, he was 23 at that time.
"I was young and inexperienced and we had an inexperienced team. The San Antonio team did what they wanted,” James said remembering the 2007 NBA Finals.
This year, history is repeating itself so far. James has had one of the best seasons of his NBA career and has won his third regular season MVP title. Facing adversity with Chris Bosh out due to injury, James
has shown resolve and determination to step up his game even higher and secure victories in the Eastern conference Semi Finals and Finals.
In the Conference Finals against Boston this year, James averaged 34 points and 11 rebounds, including a monster 45 point game facing elimination in game 6 at Boston. Now, he has Kevin Durant and company in his
way of winning the first NBA championship of his career.
He said on Monday that last season he played to silence his critics. This season, he wants to play his game without worrying about what people are saying. He feels he is more relaxed and in a better frame of
mind this year as he enters the Finals.
Tags: