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NBA FINALS: HEAT v SPURSJune 15, 2014LeBron JamesDwyane WadeSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Gam Five San Antonio Spurs – 104 Q. LeBron, it seemed like you were the only player on the team to really be able to get it going there with your 31, 10, and 5. What was the night like out there? Do you play point guard and try to get your team going? Was it frustrating? What were the emotions of the night? LEBRON JAMES: Oh, I mean, mixed emotions. Started off very well as a team. We had a great first quarter. But from that point on, they were the better team, and that's why they're the champions in 2014. Q. To follow‑up, obviously, you have a very big decision coming up. How will this game impact that decision, and what do you think your potential timetable will be on your decision? LEBRON JAMES: I haven't even really thought about that just yet. Not disappointed in any of my teammates, just wish we could have came through, played a better series, but obviously we ran up against a better team this year. Like I said, I haven't even thought about it yet. Q. Dwyane, you gave the Spurs a lot of credit for what they were able to do to you guys. But what was the biggest difference for you physically in this series, versus what you did in the Conference Finals against Indiana where you seemed to have your game? DWYANE WADE: Nothing. Just struggled a little bit. As I told you guys, I'm never going to point at anything physically. I felt fine. I just struggled a little bit offensively. You know, I wish I could have done more, but it's the nature of the game, you know. So nothing physically at all. Q. You came to Miami to win as many titles as you can. Do the Heat have ‑‑ Wade, Bosh, everybody, do they have enough in the tank to win more going forward as constituted now? LEBRON JAMES: I'm not even nowhere near at that point. You know, we went to four straight Finals in four years. You know, we're not discrediting what we were able to accomplish in these four years. We lost one, we won two, and we lost another one. Take 50% in four years in championships any day. Obviously, you want to win all of them, but that's just the nature of the game. You win some; you lose some. You've just got to come back the next year and be better as an individual, as a team, and go from there. But I know me and D. Wade and C.B., not proud of the way we played. All three of us, that's the last thing we're thinking about is what's going on this summer. Q. A real quick follow‑up, did you notice, by chance, the swirling‑‑ even Chandler Parsons was talking about what you were going to do this week. Everybody's been talking about you, you, you, you and Carmelo. Have you heard that stuff and what do you think about that stuff if you've heard it or not? LEBRON JAMES: I haven't heard it. It really doesn't matter to me what people say at all. Q. In those first six minutes, was that the kind of basketball you were hoping for? Did you feel at that point like you guys were going to be able to make a standpoint? LEBRON JAMES: Just wanted to try to inspire my teammates and came out very aggressive, made some shots, got to the free‑throw line. Tried to inspire my teammates to try to get a win. Obviously, I didn't do enough. Q. Chris Bosh described this‑‑ the Spurs as the best basketball team he's ever played against. How would you characterize what you ran into in the Finals? LEBRON JAMES: I would agree. They were the much better team. That's what team basketball and that's how team basketball should be played. You know, it's selfless. Guys move, cut, pass, you've got a shot, you take it, but it's all for the team and it's never about the individual. That's the brand of basketball, and that's how team basketball should be played. Q. As a leader of this team, what do you tell your teammates, specifically the younger ones and the new ones, about dealing with a loss like this and how can they help you in the future? LEBRON JAMES: I mean, it's hard to say anything. I mean, everyone is going through their own emotions right now. Everyone deals with it a little differently. For me, I keep my head high. I understand the position I've been able to put myself and put this team in since I got here, so my head stays high and I'm going to stay positive and use this as another opportunity to get better next year. But everyone is different. Q. What have these four years meant being together and playing together, off the court, all of that? What have these years been like for you guys? Is it what you expected or more? DWYANE WADE: I mean, we didn't know what to expect when we decided to become teammates years ago. We just knew that we felt as individuals that we could do it, that we could put our egos to the side and not care about the individual part of the game and become a great team and become two leaders of that team. It's been a hell of a ride in these four years. And when we decided to play together, we didn't say, okay, let's try for four years. We said let's just play together and let's see what happens. We've been successful in the sense of what we tried to accomplish, and that is going to the Finals, and we did it. We'd love to be four for four, it just wasn't in the cards for us to be that. We have no other reason not to be proud of each other for what we've accomplished on and off the court for these four years together. Q. LeBron, what are your thoughts about what you've learned over the years from management, coaches, just how the organization has treated you? LEBRON JAMES: I mean, I play for my teammates every single night. I don't really get involved in management and all of that. That's not my job. I play for my teammates. I try to lead my teammates. I try to inspire my teammates. I let guys do their job and I do mine. Q. Kawhi Leonard is Finals MVP. Could you talk about what you saw from him especially over these last three games and how much he's grown from last year? LEBRON JAMES: Very efficient. I mean, he's very efficient. The first two games he didn't play so well. I thought he attacked more in the last three games, shot the ball extremely well. Every year you gain more and more confidence. Guys give you confidence, and he played extremely well. DWYANE WADE: Yeah, it's like he just played free. You could tell after the first two games, it seemed like his teammates went to him and said just play basketball. He not only took what the defense gave him, he took what he wanted at times as well. So he's a young player who is growing up in this league, and everyone knows what Coach Pop says: He's the future of this team. And he did an unbelievable job of playing the role they needed him to play. Q. LeBron, you said in February you couldn't picture yourself leaving Miami. Do you still feel that way? LEBRON JAMES: I mean, I will deal with my summer when I get to that point. Me and my team will sit down and deal with it. I love Miami. My family loves it. But obviously right now that's not even what I'm thinking about. You guys are trying to find answers. I'm not going to give you one. I'm just not going to give it to you. When I get to that point, I'll deal with it, and when it gets to that point. Q. How do you handle this loss at this point in your career compared to the other two times you lost in the Finals? LEBRON JAMES: First time I lost, as a team we were excited to get there. We were more excited to get there than to win. You know, obviously, we would have loved to win that game and win that series, but the Spurs were more dominant than us. They were more seasoned. They had been there a few years and they took advantage of our youth and inexperience. Three years ago, our first year here, that was probably more hurtful than this one in the sense of we had put so much into it, we were going through so much. That Dallas team was the better team in that series as well. Obviously, they all hurt. This year they dominated us from every facet of the game‑‑ offensively, defensively. I mean, they all hurt, but I've been able to be a part of five of them, and I would love to sit up here and say I was 5‑0, but I'm not. I'm 2‑3. But a lot of guys don't get this opportunity to even compete for a championship, and I've been blessed to compete for five of them in my 11 years so far. Q. If you guys do return intact next season, the big three and a few other players, what do you need to add, change, to beat this Spurs team, if you were to meet them again? LEBRON JAMES: I don't think it's just the Spurs. It's the whole league. The whole league continues to get better every single year. Obviously we would need to get better from every facet, every position. It's just how the league works. The Spurs continue to get better. Obviously, they kept those three guys intact, but they continue to put guys around them, high‑basketball‑IQ guys around them, high‑energy guys around them that fit into the system of what Pop wanted to do. Obviously, it's not just about the Spurs. It's about the whole league. The whole league is excited about returning next season, and we'll see what happens. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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