NBA Finals: LeBron James feels no need to exact revenge vs. Spurs
Championship series opens Thursday; James lost to Spurs in 2007
It was, basically, a lifetime ago. LeBron James
was 22 years old, and still playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He had
led a stunning upset of the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference
finals, dragging a supporting cast that included the likes of Boobie
Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic into the NBA Finals against the behemoth that
was the San Antonio Spurs.
It was no contest. The Spurs won the first game by nine points. They won the second by 11. They went to Cleveland and pulled out two squeakers to complete the sweep.
LeBron James has grown since his Cavaliers were swept by the Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals. (AP Photo)
— Game 1: Spurs at Heat, 9 p.m. ET | Full finals schedule: dates, times, TV
James looked like a guy who had no idea what had just hit him after that series. He averaged 22.0 points, but shot only 35.6 percent in the four games, committing 5.8 turnovers. It was one of only eight championship sweeps in NBA history.
James obviously remembers. "It has been a while since I have seen the series," he said. "I am pretty good with going back in my mental, and what happened, it was tough. I mean we ran against a team that was more superior, more experienced, more better — that's not ever a word — better than we were at the time. They took advantage of every miscue and inexperienced thing we did out on the floor. That allowed them to raise the Larry O'Brien trophy."
— NBA Finals: Defense on James | Meeting of opposites | Series schedule | Allen scorned by Spurs
— Linemakers: Game 1 and series props | NBA Finals odds
All in all, though, James isn't particularly motivated by revenge when his Heat face the Spurs in Game 1 of The Finals.
He was with a different team in 2007, and there wasn't a lot of heartbreak involved in that loss — the Cavs never really had a shot against the Spurs, the roster around James being as sparse as it was. Still, it is a blemish on his record, and this year's Finals provide a shot at erasing it.
"It's a great opportunity," James said. "I have something in me that, they took in '07, they beat us on our home floor, celebrated on our home floor, and I won't forget that. As a competitor, you should never forget that. It's the same group of guys for the most part, the same Big Three and Coach Pop [Gregg Popovich], and I look forward to the challenge once again."
James has often said that what motivated him to up his game in recent years was the Heat's 2011Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks. It was after that series that James began to identify weaknesses of his game that could be improved. That's what has stood out to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
"LeBron's game has evolved, tenfold, just in his time here in Miami," Spoelstra said. "That I can speak to. The evolution of all the different aspects of his game — in the post, his pick-and-roll game, both ways, where he is handling it and where he is a screener. More movement, less isolation basketball, playing within a system.
"Certainly, his shooting has improved dramatically, you don't shoot about 55 percent as a perimeter player, unless some things are working, you're taking the right shots and improved your midrange and 3-point shooting, keeping teams honest with that and still being able to get to the rim. Being able to orchestrate an offense, when he scores and facilitates just as easily."
As for the Spurs, making their first Finals appearance since that '07 series, they're not kidding themselves into thinking there's any carryover from six years ago, or that they learned anything from that period that can be applied now.
"Well, LeBron is a different player than he was in '07," Popovich said. "That was like ancient history. He was basically a neophyte at the time, wondering how all this stuff worked and how it's put together. We were very fortunate at that time to get him so early. But at this point he's grown. He doesn't care what you all say. He knows basketball better than everybody put together in this room. He goes and plays the game and does what's necessary. So he'll be a lot more of a problem than he was in '07, that's for sure."
Considering what happened in '07 — a terrible individual performance that resulted in an easy sweep — it's a sure bet that James will be a much bigger problem this time.
It was no contest. The Spurs won the first game by nine points. They won the second by 11. They went to Cleveland and pulled out two squeakers to complete the sweep.
LeBron James has grown since his Cavaliers were swept by the Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals. (AP Photo)James looked like a guy who had no idea what had just hit him after that series. He averaged 22.0 points, but shot only 35.6 percent in the four games, committing 5.8 turnovers. It was one of only eight championship sweeps in NBA history.
James obviously remembers. "It has been a while since I have seen the series," he said. "I am pretty good with going back in my mental, and what happened, it was tough. I mean we ran against a team that was more superior, more experienced, more better — that's not ever a word — better than we were at the time. They took advantage of every miscue and inexperienced thing we did out on the floor. That allowed them to raise the Larry O'Brien trophy."
— NBA Finals: Defense on James | Meeting of opposites | Series schedule | Allen scorned by Spurs
— Linemakers: Game 1 and series props | NBA Finals odds
All in all, though, James isn't particularly motivated by revenge when his Heat face the Spurs in Game 1 of The Finals.
He was with a different team in 2007, and there wasn't a lot of heartbreak involved in that loss — the Cavs never really had a shot against the Spurs, the roster around James being as sparse as it was. Still, it is a blemish on his record, and this year's Finals provide a shot at erasing it.
"It's a great opportunity," James said. "I have something in me that, they took in '07, they beat us on our home floor, celebrated on our home floor, and I won't forget that. As a competitor, you should never forget that. It's the same group of guys for the most part, the same Big Three and Coach Pop [Gregg Popovich], and I look forward to the challenge once again."
James has often said that what motivated him to up his game in recent years was the Heat's 2011Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks. It was after that series that James began to identify weaknesses of his game that could be improved. That's what has stood out to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
"LeBron's game has evolved, tenfold, just in his time here in Miami," Spoelstra said. "That I can speak to. The evolution of all the different aspects of his game — in the post, his pick-and-roll game, both ways, where he is handling it and where he is a screener. More movement, less isolation basketball, playing within a system.
"Certainly, his shooting has improved dramatically, you don't shoot about 55 percent as a perimeter player, unless some things are working, you're taking the right shots and improved your midrange and 3-point shooting, keeping teams honest with that and still being able to get to the rim. Being able to orchestrate an offense, when he scores and facilitates just as easily."
As for the Spurs, making their first Finals appearance since that '07 series, they're not kidding themselves into thinking there's any carryover from six years ago, or that they learned anything from that period that can be applied now.
"Well, LeBron is a different player than he was in '07," Popovich said. "That was like ancient history. He was basically a neophyte at the time, wondering how all this stuff worked and how it's put together. We were very fortunate at that time to get him so early. But at this point he's grown. He doesn't care what you all say. He knows basketball better than everybody put together in this room. He goes and plays the game and does what's necessary. So he'll be a lot more of a problem than he was in '07, that's for sure."
Considering what happened in '07 — a terrible individual performance that resulted in an easy sweep — it's a sure bet that James will be a much bigger problem this time.
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