Cavaliers: Chasing Jordan more about motivation than records for LeBron

BOSTON— LeBron James says his chase of Michael Jordan’s accomplishments is simply personal motivation. It’s not about wanting to establish himself as the NBA’s greatest player.

James spoke Thursday during the morning shootaround before the Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics 135-102 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final. He said his goal is not about passing Jordan in titles, points or MVP awards.

James surpassed Jordan for the top spot on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list on Thursday night. The Cavaliers star hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics that gave him 29 points in the game and 5,989 points in his postseason career.

But the Cavaliers superstar said his pursuit is about leaving a legacy to motivate the next generation of players.

“It’s just my personal goal to keep me motivated, that’s all,” James said. “You guys are gonna have the conversations about who’s the greatest of all time and things of that nature, it doesn’t matter to me.”

He also said he believes that the greatness conversation is discussed more often in the NBA than in other sports.

“It’s never talked about (in the) NFL, who’s the greatest quarterback. It’s just like (Dan) Marino, (John) Elway, (Peyton) Manning, (Tom) Brady — all great quarterbacks. It should be the same for us,” James said. “We go out and just try to be as great as we can be every night.

“The comparison of always trying to compare people, either living or still playing or not playing — I think it’s great for barbershops.”