One of the biggest stories of the season will be that LeBron James will face off against Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, something that not even the most optimistic Heat fans thought was going to happen this year.
Heat and Lakers will square off for the first time in the history of the playoffs and there’s already a lot on the line. I mean, if you need extra motivation to try and give your best in basketball’s ultimate stage, then you’re not playing the game for the right reasons.
That’s why LeBron James was quick to shut down the narrative when he was asked whether he felt like winning an NBA Championship vs. his former team, coach, and executive meant anything extra:
“Absolutely not. There’s no extra meaning to winning a Championship no matter who you’re playing, it’s already hard enough to reach the Finals,” LeBron said.
LeBron James has already made a habit out of reaching this stage, as he’s made it to 10 NBA Finals throughout his career and 9 over the past decade (4 of them with the Heat, winning a couple of rings), so he’s likely unfazed by whoever he’s got to play against.
Then again, the rumors claim that LeBron still has some unfinished business with both Erik Spoelstra and Pat Riley following his sudden exit from South Beach’s team, and there wouldn’t be a better stage to settle their differences than in the NBA Finals.
What we can be sure of is that we’re going to have a tough, physical series that’s likely going down to the wire. The Heat aren’t going to go away and the Lakers have the most talented and dominant duo in the league. It doesn’t get much better than that for basketball fans around the world.
