Oddly familiar
James won’t fault Warriors for trying to build dynasty
CLEVELAND — When Kevin Durant signed with the vengeance-minded Golden State Warriors last summer, Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James knew what might happen.
He understood the potential of a team with more firepower than perhaps anything pro basketball has seen before.
And although he’s on the cusp of being swept in the NBA Finals — it would be just the second time that has happened in his eight title series appearances — James isn’t envious of the Warriors for building a superpower in sneakers.
He’d do it, too.
One day after Cleveland plunged into a 3-0 hole in the best-of-series with a demoralizing 118-113 loss in Game 3, James said he didn’t have a problem with Durant tilting the balance of power by leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to join forces with a star-studded roster that already had Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
“It’s part of the rules,” James said
Thursday. “Is it fair? I don’t care. It’s great for our league. Right now, look at our TV ratings, look at the money our league is pouring in. I mean, who am I to say if it’s fair or not?”
In 2010, James left Cleveland to sign with the Miami Heat and play with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, and the All-Star trio won back-to-back titles during four straight trips to the championship series. So James doesn’t begrudge the Warriors, even pointing out the NBA isn’t the only sports league where dynasties have been built by owners throwing around money.
James, who has expressed a desire to own a team one day, cited the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s as examples of teams that spent for success.
“I’m not one to judge and say if it’s fair or not if guys are adding players to their team,” he said. “It happens. It’s sports. You have an opportunity to sign one of the best players, and you can do it, go ahead and do it.
“Why not? If I become an owner, I’m going to try to sign everybody.”
With that, James walked off the dais, ending a news conference in which he addressed the dawn of Golden State’s dynasty, his future and criticism for a play late in Wednesday’s loss.
It would have been understandable if James had been dour given that
his hopes to win a fourth title overall and second straight with Cleveland evaporated in the closing minutes of Game 3. The Warriors outscored the Cavs 11-0 down the stretch to run their postseason record to 15-0, and there’s no reason to believe they won’t close out the series tonight.
But except for an exaggerated yawn before taking the first question, James was upbeat, satisfied that he has done everything within his power to slow the Warriors, who have toyed with the postseason field for weeks.
James made his first NBA Finals appearance 10 years ago, when he and the Cavs were swept by San Antonio, which captured its third Larry O’Brien Trophy in a fiveyear span. At that time, it felt like a title was far away for James — and now a fourth one seems nearly as distant with the scary good Warriors just getting started.
“I think it’s just part of my calling to just go against teams in the midst of a dynasty,” James said. “This has been the best team in our league the last three years. They won a championship, and last year it was the greatest regular-season team we had played, probably one of the best postseason teams that everybody’s ever seen as well, but we were just able to overcome that.
“And they’re playing like one of the best teams once again, and obviously this team is built to be able to do that with the talent that they have. Obviously you never know what’s going to happen, but as it stands right now, they look pretty good, as far as the future.”
As for his own future, James, who is averaging 32 points, 12.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists in this series, said he hasn’t decided how much longer he’ll play.
“I definitely want to compete,” the 32-year-old said. “I want to compete for championships every year, and so we’ll see what happens.”
James was criticized by some observers for not being more aggressive late in Game 3, when he made a pass to sharpshooter Kyle Korver, who missed a potential game-sealing 3-pointer with 50 seconds left. Durant then came down and made a go-ahead 3.
James broke down the play, highlighting every detail — Green with five fouls, Durant collapsing, Curry guarding Kevin Love and Korver being open in the short corner — before delivering his own counterpunch.
“I would do the same exact thing,” he said.