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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORSJune 7, 2015LeBron JamesOAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Game Two Cavaliers – 95 Q. Your bench just got nine points in Game 1 and got 21 points today. What do you think about that? LEBRON JAMES: Well, our bench was big for us tonight. We needed everything that we got from them. They came in and did an excellent job of contributing offensively and defensively. They were pretty good. Q. LeBron, what is the next day and a half or so going to be like for you thinking about playing an NBA Finals game back in Cleveland? LEBRON JAMES: Well, it's going to be the same as it has been being out here. Round‑the‑clock treatment, get my body, get my mind ready for the game. I get an opportunity to go home. I haven't seen my wife, seen my kids in four or five days. Give them some big hugs, big kisses, and then I'm going to lock back in. So it's the same thing for me. Q. What did you do after the shock of losing Game 1 and the news about Kyrie to get the team's spirits up heading into this game? LEBRON JAMES: Just letting them understand and telling them about the moment, the moment that we're in, not about the game. I think the game is such a small thing, when you think about the moment and compare it to the moment. We have a chance to be a part of history, but it's the small steps that you take to get to that point. So mentally, physically, just having those guys ready, throwing things in their ears to try to let them understand what this is all about, and they responded very well. Q. Have you ever played with a guy like Matthew Dellavedova before? And what was going through your mind when he was at the free‑throw line? LEBRON JAMES: No, I think he's unique in his own way. Obviously he's a guy that's been counted out his whole life. Probably people have been telling him he's too small, he's not fast enough, can't shoot it enough, can't handle it good enough, and he's beat the odds so many times. The confidence that we have in him allows him to be confident in himself. He goes out and he just plays his tail off, and when a guy like that does that, he gets great results. Q. And about the free throws? LEBRON JAMES: Well, he was very calm. Before you get to the free throws, just to follow up on the missed three by J.J., usually when J.J., J.R. and Mike Miller shoot, we don't rebound, because most of the time they make them. So for us, for Delly to be able to crash in and get that and go up there and knock two free throws down, that was huge. Q. Your coach said that you guys were the underdog and you were written off. You guys were written off coming into this game. How much is that a personal motivation for you and how important, how good does it feel to get a rare‑‑ to get a loss‑‑ to get a win in Golden State? LEBRON JAMES: Well, I mean, I don't need any extra motivation. I think our guys love it. Our guys love the fact that we've been counted out and come into the series being an underdog. They're pretty much saying that especially after Kyrie got hurt and the series was over. I think our guys are using that as motivation. I use a little bit of it, but I have a lot of motivation already to just be a part of greatness and be a part of this and be a part of this atmosphere. My motivation is to make sure my guys are ready and prepared every night we step on the floor. And I have some other motivation that I won't talk about right now, but I have so many different things to worry about than being an underdog or guys counting us out. Q. LeBron, just take us through Delly's performance on Steph Curry. It's one of Steph's probably worst shooting performances in his career. LEBRON JAMES: It had everything to do with Delly. He just kept a body on Steph. He made Steph work. He was spectacular, man, defensively. We needed everything from him. When Steph shoots the ball, you just automatically think it's going in because he shoots the ball so well. I mean, he stunned me on one in the fourth quarter where he just took an in‑and‑out dribble and raised for a three and he nailed it and that wasn't on Delly. He just did a great job. Just trying to make it tough on Steph. That's all you can do. You make it tough on him. You get a contest, and you live with the results, and I think Delly did that. Q. You've talked about different versions of this team this year. What is the identity of the team right now, and when did you discover that maybe it could be a grittier team than you had anticipated? LEBRON JAMES: Yeah, that's what it is, it's the grit squad that we have. It's not cute at all. If you're looking for us to play sexy, cute basketball, then that's not us. That's not us right now. Everything is tough. You know, we're going to come in with an aggressive mindset defensively and offensively. And for us to win a Finals game shooting 32 percent from the field, it's just a testament of how gritty we can be. It has to be that for the rest of the series, no matter how many games it takes. Q. If you go back and look through just at all your games, all your performances, I don't think, especially in the playoffs, you've ever done what you've pulled off personally the last two games. There are a number of different ways you can answer this, but where is it coming from? LEBRON JAMES: (Laughing). It just comes from the work ethic. When the 20,000‑plus fans aren't there and you guys aren't there, I mean, you see it because you're probably with me every day and some of your other guys or some of our other beat writers, you guys see how much work I put into my craft every day, before, after practice. When you put that much work in there, you live with the results. For me to be able to go out on the biggest stage and to be able to make plays happen for my teammates is the ultimate feeling for myself. That's why I take my profession, I take my craft very seriously. Q. You mentioned I believe yesterday, you said you could play 41, 42 minutes. You played well over that tonight and still played‑‑ you were a force each and every minute on the court.  The next question everybody's going to ask is can this continue? Are you built for this? LEBRON JAMES: Well, am I built for it? Well, of course I'm built for it (laughing). I mean, it's a maximum of five games left in the NBA season. So I'm ready for whatever. Q. Just piggybacking on that, two overtime games, 90‑something minutes for you. How much are you feeling it right now? And did you come into tonight's game with a little bit different edge knowing you didn't have Kyrie to lean on a little? LEBRON JAMES: Did you see how I walked in here? I'm feeling it. I'm feeling it right now for sure. That's why I've got one of the best trainers in the world in Mike Mancias who will make sure I'm ready for Game 3. We already have started on my rehab. Already started on my session. I will get rehab on the plane. We've got a five‑hour flight back home, and we've got all‑around‑the‑clock treatment tomorrow and get ready for Game 3. I'll be ready. Q. Byron Scott used to talk about the injured dog theory; that an injured dog is the most frightening dog. Do you guys feel like that's where you're at right now? LEBRON JAMES: I mean, all we can do is go out and play hard. We're undermanned. I mean, we're without two All‑Stars, and I don't know any other team in this league that would be able to do that, to be able to be without two All‑Stars on their team and compete the way we compete and be a force. So the guys are taking that very personal. For us mentally we can't allow‑‑ the one thing we can't allow is what everyone is saying about us affect what we need to do out on the floor, because that's just smoke and mirrors of what everybody else says about us or what they think is going to happen with the series. What truly matters is what we have as a game plan and how we go out and execute it. That's all that matters. Q. LeBron, I think you would prefer not to have to shoot 38 or 34 shots a game. What's it like for you to play this way and know that you do have to go out there and do this? LEBRON JAMES: Well, the good thing about tonight, I took 34 shots, but I had my 11 assists. Once again, I was knocking on the 40 door again. So they let me score 40 again. That felt pretty‑‑ I'm happy I'm able to do that in a win. So just to go out‑‑ I'm not a high‑volume shooter. I've never been in my career. But things have changed on our team where the shots that Kevin and Kyrie would have has now been placed on myself and the rest of the guys as well. It's what needs to be done to help our team win. Am I going to be in the 30s every game or things of that nature? I'm not sure. I would not like to. But if that's what the case has to be to help us win, then I don't have a choice. Q. You obviously won four of these, but this is the first Finals win in Cavaliers history. You obviously are a man of history. What's this mean to you? LEBRON JAMES: It means everything. It means everything to be able to be a part of history and to get this win for this franchise, for our city, for all the Cavs fans all over the world. And if I can leave my fans with something, these fans here are pretty loud, pretty good, really good. I'm looking forward to seeing our fans and I can't wait to see our fans. I've heard our fans pretty loud before. A couple instances my first postseason appearance was really loud, and me coming home against the Knicks at the start of the season was pretty good. But I know we can be much, much louder than any fan base in this league. I know they're getting ready, and I can't wait to see them. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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