The Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 NBA Finals matchup against the Miami Heat comes with a variety of off-court storylines in addition to the actual gameplay. Chief among them is LeBron James seeking his fourth championship on his third team against the franchise he won his first two titles with.
James’ exit with the Heat in 2014 was not under the best terms – he and Pat Riley allegedly had a falling out that contributed to LeBron returning to Cleveland for four more Finals appearances. Still, LeBron was nothing but complimentary to the Heat organization and Riley on Tuesday’s Finals media day. Most notably, he pushed back on the idea that this title would mean more to him because it would come against his former team:
.@billoram asked LeBron if there was any extra motivation to win a title against Spoelstra, Riley and the Heat:
"Absolutely not. There is no extra meaning in winning a championship no matter who you're playing against… I'm just happy that I'm here with the opportunity."
— Finals Faigen (@hmfaigen) September 29, 2020
LeBron just called Riley "one of the greatest minds the game has ever had… This league is not the same without Riles."
— Finals Faigen (@hmfaigen) September 29, 2020
LeBron, on Heat tenure, "It was a perfect match for those four years."
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 29, 2020
It’s pretty clear that LeBron isn’t looking to add any unnecessary spin to this series besides the on-court product. He even took time to praise Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who he famously clashed with early in his Heat career before ultimately winning two championships together:
LeBron says that "it's unfortunate" that Erik Spoelstra "hasn't gotten respect" from the media.
He says that lots of coaches have had talent and not won, but Spoelstra has taken that talent and won, and says the basketball world knows he's a top coach.
— Finals Faigen (@hmfaigen) September 29, 2020
What stands out to @KingJames about Miami?
First is how hard they play.
Second: "The way they move without the ball. Everyone is live … there isn’t one guy you can (ignore). They do a hell of a job moving the ball, passing, cutting."
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 29, 2020
It’s been pretty much all love between the two teams in the media over the last few days as they gear up for the Finals. We’ll see if that will be the case after game one Wednesday night.
