LeBron James blossomed as a champion with the Heat, winning his first two titles in South Beach. It began his streak of eight straight Finals appearances.
Now as a Laker, James, at 35, revisits his glorious past to face Miami. It is James’ ninth Finals appearance in 10 years — a journey he classified as the toughest experience he’s faced in the NBA.
Looking for his fourth championship, James has carried his third club to the Finals, while Pat Riley’s Heat return to the stage without him as an underdog fifth seed.
Heat-Lakers tips off with Game 1 Wednesday at 9 p.m. in the Orlando bubble. The Lakers gun for their record-tying 17th title just months after franchise legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash.
On the eve of The Finals, James reminisced about being part of the Miami Dream Team. He called Riley “one of the greatest minds this game has ever had.”
“Being a part of that culture allowed me to grow, allowed me to see what it takes to not only compete for a championship but also to win a championship,” James said Tuesday. “So it definitely put me in a position where I knew what it took. I saw what it took. But also I fit that culture as well because of how hard I worked. It was a perfect match for those four years.’’
Now paired with superstar Anthony Davis, James has notched four triple-doubles during the Lakers’ run. But he admits “the toll’’ of the bubble lockdown for 12 weeks has been mammoth.
“I don’t even know how many days it is,’’ James said. “It feels like five years. It’s probably been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done as far as a professional, committing to something and actually making it through. My mindset was to — if I’m going to be here, make the most of it.”
This isn’t the glamorous Miami Dream Team James will face. It’s a gritty, grinding, fundamentally perfect Heat club that crashed The Finals as the first fifth seed since the current playoff format started in 1983.
Miami is fronted by the ferocious leadership of Jimmy Butler, a 2019 free agent who many clubs with cap space, including the Lakers and Knicks, shied away from.
Now, Butler will be charged with slowing down the freight train from Akron, Ohio. Butler entered the league when James was 26.
“He’s still at the top of his game at 35, at 26, at 21,’’ Butler said. “He’s still dominating. You’ve had to go through him at 26, 35, probably at 49. But he’s shown why he he’s had the career and the legacy he’s continually building. It’s not going to be an easy task these next couple of games. If anybody is up for it, it’s the Miami Heat.’’
Deemed too prickly by some clubs, Butler has meshed spectacularly in Miami. Being too rough on his young teammates in Minnesota cost Tom Thibodeau his job. Butler said “ruffling feathers’’ in Miami was encouraged — not demonized.
“I just get to be me here,’’ Butler said. “I get to call it how I see it. Nobody takes it personally. I don’t have to worry about anybody trying to control me. I just take being a bad guy. I like it that way.”
In Las Vegas, the Lakers are the heavy betting favorites.
“Not going to say that we’re any better than anybody else, but I just don’t think that we’re underdogs,’’ Butler said. “So what that nobody picked us to be here? Pretty sure nobody is picking up to win, either. We embrace that.’’
The Heat do not possess one player drafted higher than 13th (burgeoning rookie Tyler Herro). Meanwhile, The Lake Show boasts an icon in the conversation for the “GOAT’’ in James alongside former No. 1 pick Davis, whose career playoff average is 29.6 points.
Miami also boasts the NBA’s most underrated coach in Erik Spoelstra, now in his fifth Finals. James knows that too well.
“It’s unfortunate that he hasn’t gotten his respect,’’ said James. “That’s what fuels Spo, the disrespect that you guys give him.
“It’s how hard they play for 48 minutes, no matter if they’re up, no matter if they’re down. They play extremely hard. They do a hell of a job of moving without the ball, sharing the ball, cutting, passing.”
Now Riley’s crew stands in the way of James and his inching closer to Michael Jordan with a fourth championship.