KING’S COURT
Four ex-foes appreciate playing on James’ side
Jeff Zillgitt “When you go against guys, you can envision at times how they fit with you and what they could do for your team.” LeBron James
OAKLAND – Cleveland Cavaliers reserve center Kendrick Perkins talks in a slow, rolling Texas drawl, and when he’s not scowling from the bench, he has a mischievous smirk.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Perkins began when asked what’s it like to play against LeBron James in the playoffs and what’s it like to play alongside him in the playoffs, “but you almost pray that he turns an ankle or gets sick and doesn’t show up to the game. That’s when you’re on the opposite team. But when you’re with him, there’s no words.”
Perkins is one of four of James’ teammates who played against him deep in the playoffs before playing alongside him. Kyle Korver, Jeff Green and George Hill are the others.
And they share a unique perspective of what it means to try to beat him and to try to win with him. For James’ part, he understands an opponent might one day be a teammate.
“When you go against guys, you can envision at times how they fit with you and what they could do for your team,” James said the day before Thursday’s Game 1 between Cleveland and Golden State in the NBA Finals.
Perkins played against James in the Eastern Conference playoffs with Boston multiple times and in the NBA Finals with Oklahoma City.
“When I got here, I said, ‘This dude really punches the clock,’ ” Perkins said. “Before that, I just thought he was a God-given talent. But he works hard.”
Korver faced James in the playoffs three times — once with the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals and twice with Atlanta in the conference finals and conference semifinals. He lost all three times, including backto-back sweeps.
“You just knew it at some point you had to go through him,” Korver said. “He had this firm hold on the Eastern Conference.
“He’s so hard to game plan for. Do you trap him and give other guys open shots? Do you make him shoot twos? What’s the game plan?
“He’s found ways to attack everything. It doesn’t feel like anything’s ever going to work.”
Golden State coach Steve Kerr understands the feeling. Before joining Mi- chael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, he played against them for Cleveland in the playoffs.
“It was very frustrating,” Kerr said. “A lot more fun playing with him. I just think that when you have a great player on your team, it’s a lot easier. The game becomes easier.”
Such is the case for Korver on James’ team.
“When you’re on his side, you see why he’s this good,” Korver said. “You don’t see that from the other side. When he’s on the other side, you think he gets every call. When you’re on his side, ‘Man, this guy gets no calls ever.’ You don’t see the why on the other side. Being with him, you see the why in his daily approach.”
James has mutual admiration for Korver, who is No. 4 on the NBA’s alltime list of made three-pointers.
“Going against Kyle, I always kind of was like, ‘Oh, wow, to add a sharpshooter like that to our ballclub would be an amazing thing,’ ” James said. “Obviously our former GM, David Griffin, was able to pull that off and get him to us. And the rest is history, what he’s been able to do for our ballclub.”
As a guard for Indiana, Hill lost to James’ Heat teams in the playoffs three consecutive seasons, including backto-back conference finals.
“Every so often, you run into guys who are the best to ever play the game. You had your Jordans, your Kobes, now you have LeBron,” Hill said. “There’s times I’m sure players were like, ‘ Ah man, we’ve got Jordan tonight.’ It can get frustrating, but it’s part of the game.”
Hill said James gives teammates confidence that they can win.
“We know we have a chance with the best player in the world on your team,” he said.
James grew to appreciate Hill’s game during the playoff matchups.
“I’ve always loved George Hill — his length and his ability to put pressure on the defense, but also on the defensive side with his length,” James said.
“I’ve always kind of seen that, obviously, with the battles that we had with Indiana and going deep into the playoffs.”
James has a soft spot for Green, who had heart surgery nearly six years ago and missed the 2011-12 season.
“To see the game be taken away from someone so young at that point in time, I was like, ‘Wow, this is a reset for me personally to kind of never take the game for granted, even though I never do,’ ” James said. “But it gives you an opportunity to kind of think the situation that you’re in.
“So it was always great to compete against Jeff, especially after he was able to get back on the floor. Not actually knowing exactly what he went through, because none of us can actually know unless we’ve been through that, but you can be inspired by it.”