James said Heat was ‘perfect’ match for him, praises Riley, scolds media on Spoelstra
Six years after stunning and angering Pat Riley by leaving in the middle of what the Heat president hoped would be a decade-long dynasty, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James offered only praise for Riley, Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat organization on Tuesday.
On the eve of the first NBA Finals meeting between the Heat and Lakers, James was effusive in his assessment of the franchise where he spent four years, made four NBA Finals and won two championships and two MVP awards.
“Being around Riles and Spo and D-Wade and UD [Udonis Haslem], just to name a few, being 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.
“It put me in a position where I knew what winning took. I saw what it took. I fit that culture as well because of how hard I work. It was a perfect match for those four years.”
That experience, he said, “never leaves you. Guys don’t realize, I went to Miami when I was 25 years old. It was 25 to 29. I was still growing, still trying to figure out who I am as a person, as a man, while still trying to compete for a championship every single year. I grew. And they allowed me to grow. And we pushed each other every single day. And I fit perfectly in that culture because I work just as hard as anybody else.”
Riley admitted he was initially angered by James’ departure and famously spoke afterward about having “no more smiling faces with hidden agendas. But Riley subsequently has said he grew to understand James’ decision to leave Miami to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in July 2014 because of a desire to bring a championship to his home state.
Asked how he feels about Riley, James said: “One of the greatest minds this game has ever had. He’s won at every level, been part of a championship in [six] decades. This league is not the same without Riles. He’s a great guy, great motivator, someone who just knows what it takes to win. He’s shown that over the course of 40 years.”
A few years ago, Riley told writer Ian Thomsen that 17 games into James’ first season with the team, James asked Riley if he had an itch to coach again. Riley did not.
But James subsequently grew to appreciate Spoelstra’s diligence and preparation, and that was evident from James’ comments on Tuesday.
“Players and coaches know how great Spo is,” James said. “There’s this narrative that Spo is not great... He prepares his team every single night. If you watch the Miami Heat no matter who is on the court, they are going to play Heat culture, play hard, play together. That’s what they’ve always been about.
“It’s been you guys [reporters] that have never given Spo respect because he had D-Wade, myself, Bosh. A lot of coaches have had talent over the course of this league. It’s unfortunate he hasn’t gotten the respect.
“Every time we talk about Spo when I was there, we talk about how great he prepared us. You guys always said, ‘He has LeBron, he has D-Wade, he had Bosh, any coach can do it.’ No, any coach can’t do it.’ If any coach can do it, there would be a lot more successful coaches.”
James — who is in his second season and first playoff appearance with the Lakers after spending four years and winning one championship in his second tour with Cleveland — then revealed that Spo “likes” the media’s underestimation of his value.
“That’s what fuels Spo, the disrespect you guys give him, the basketball world,” James said. “He’s damn good, if not great. Probably is great. He prepares like it’s his last time ever coaching again every game.”
James will be the second player to win MVP with a franchise and then face that franchise in the Finals later in his career. Wilt Chamberlain won MVP with the Warriors in 1959-60 and then faced the Warriors in the 1967 Finals as a member of the 76ers.
If the Lakers win this series, James would have as many championships without the Heat (two) as he does with the Heat (two). But is there any extra motivation to win against Riley and Spoelstra?
“Absolutely not,” James said. “No extra meaning to win a championship no matter who you’re playing against. It’s already hard enough to reach the Finals. If you’re able to become victorious in the Finals, it doesn’t matter who it’s against. I’m happy I’m here, with the opportunity.”
On what stands out about the Heat, James said: “Two things: how hard they play, 48 minutes. Doesn’t matter if they’re down; they play extremely hard. The way they move without the ball, share the ball. Everyone is live on the floor; there’s not one guy you can disrespect or be off on an offensive possession. They do a hell of a job moving without the ball, sharing the ball, passing. Those are the two things that stand out.”
James called spending nearly three months inside the NBA’s Disney bubble “the most challenging thing I’ve ever done as a professional, as far as committing to something and actually making it through. I knew what we were coming here for. I would be lying if I said I knew being in the bubble the toll it would take on your mind and your body. It has been extremely tough.
“I’m here for one reason and one reason only and that’s to compete for a championship. That was my mindset once I entered the bubble and the quarantine process the first two days. My mindset was if I’m going to be here, make the most of it and lock on what the main thing is. And the main thing was for us to finish the season and compete for a championship.”
You can tell Riley’s influence on even how James still speaks; Riley often has spoken of the “main thing being the main thing.”
James said “it feels like [it has been] five years” in the bubble and not three months. And then he added: “I’ve been as locked in as I’ve ever been in my career.”
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 3:16 PM.
