LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – LeBron James wants to beat the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat want to beat LeBron James. These shouldn’t be surprising notions to anyone, not with a title at stake.
Those looking for more acrimony than that may be disappointed.
The NBA Finals start Wednesday night, and the James versus Miami story line is shaping up as little more than a meeting of the mutual admiration society, albeit with a championship at stake. James is looking to bring the Los Angeles Lakers back to basketball’s mountaintop for the first time since 2010, while the Heat are looking to cap a surprising season with their fourth crown.
“I’m here for one reason and one reason only, and that’s to compete for a championship,” James said on the eve of his 10th NBA Finals as he seeks his fourth ring.
James was asked any number of different ways Tuesday about his time in Miami, his thoughts on coach Erik Spoelstra and his opinion of Heat team president Pat Riley. He never took the bait, speaking only with fondness for the four years he spent in Miami and the two titles the Heat won during that stay.