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NBA FINALS: MAVERICKS v HEAT

May 30, 2011

LeBron James

MIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day

Q. LeBron, question in two parts if you don't mind. What was it like to be on the court with all The Finals logos and signage? Does it seem real now? And secondly, I'm curious if in your shoot for those promotional shoots for ABC, did you look at the trophy, hold it, anything like that game?
LeBRON JAMES: First of all, I'm honored to be here again. Now with this franchise, it's an honor. As a player we worked hard. I worked hard individually to get to this point. I had a lot of visions of being at this moment and the now it's hit me. Being on the floor and seeing the championship logos, The Finals logos, I'm very excited.
I got an opportunity to see the trophy yesterday and take pictures with it. Hopefully we can bring it home.

Q. Did you hold it?
LeBRON JAMES: Yes. They make you do everything with it. Besides take it home.

Q. Considering all the ups and downs that you guys have been through this year, what's the feeling of the satisfaction of being here at this moment, being so close?
LeBRON JAMES: I mean, it's great satisfaction to be here. But we have a lot of work to do still. It's been a great ride so far throughout this postseason. We played some great teams starting with Philadelphia, then going with Boston and then Chicago. Three great teams. And being able to be in this moment, we've all had a vision where we all worked hard, from the start of training camp on the Air Force base. And to be here is very humbling, it's very satisfying at this point.
We want more.

Q. LeBron, a couple of your teammates out there were saying you're the best player in the league who doesn't have a ring yet. Other guys were arguing a guy like Jason Kidd with all the overall longevity and his stats. Is it just talent or overall body of work when you make that argument?
LeBRON JAMES: I don't know. That's something for you guys to break down and look at the numbers and the everything. I'm hungry for one. That was my goal coming into this league. It's been my goal. I've seen the vision over the last few years. I haven't had an opportunity to get there. I played in The Finals before; didn't win it. I got to the Eastern Conference Finals before against Orlando; lost. Had some years where we were the best team in the league in Cleveland and we didn't get back to that point.
I have had this vision and now I'm back here and I'm looking to change the outcome.

Q. Do you feel any differently going into this Finals versus taking Cleveland into the Spurs Finals in terms of the chances and what you think you're able to accomplish?
LeBRON JAMES: I feel different because I'm older, more experienced. I'm a better player at this point. You know, going into the Finals with the Spurs, I said it at the end of that Finals, I said they were a better team than us. It would have been a lot harder to digest it if we had came into a Finals with a team that we felt like wasn't better than us, didn't execute better than us, wasn't a veteran club and would have beat us. I thought the Spurs were a better team than us and took advantage of all our weaknesses. They've been to that position before.
Right now I feel more comfortable because I feel like we have a veteran ballclub and we have three guys that have had rings, Eddie House and D-Wade and Udonis. We have guys that have been in the postseason year after year after year. When you have that experience, when you have guys that can make plays and take over games, you like your chances.

Q. LeBron, do you still feel that this team is regarded as villains around the country? Or do you think the beautiful way you guys have played basketball is maybe starting to change it a little bit? Where do you think --
LeBRON JAMES: We don't know. We don't really get into it too much. You know, we've got a lot of flack this year over mostly because of myself. And we've tried to use that as motivation every day we get on the basketball court. But just play the game of basketball. That's all we can do is play the game of basketball at a high level. Play Miami Heat basketball. That's defending at a high level with speed and athleticism. And then sharing the ball and being the team offensively.
As far as this villain thing and things like that, we don't -- it is what it is. People are going to say whatever they want about us. We just got to continue to go out there and just play our game.

Q. LeBron, when you look at Dirk's career, his accomplishments, 13 years of greatness, but no championship. You're obviously trying to fill that space on your resume. What does it detract from a player's accomplishment if he doesn't get that championship?
LeBRON JAMES: You hear it all the time. Always say, to go down as one of the greats, you have to put a ring on your resume. I mean, as an individual, you have those dreams and you have those goals. You want to be a champion. Do you care as much as what people say about your career as far as your body of work? I don't know. I think you look at Dirk's numbers, they speak for itself over his 13-year career. You look at my numbers so far in my eight-year career, you know, it kind of speaks for itself as well.
As individuals, myself and Dirk, we both are competitors, and we both know the ultimate feeling is to win, is to win a championship. Not for whatever everybody else think, but for the people we have around us. That's our teammates, our organization, our families to be able to have that moment and have that feeling.

Q. LeBron, when you lose a Finals, what kind of psychological impact does that have going forward throughout your career?
LeBRON JAMES: Well, I mean, it all depends what type of guy you are.

Q. For you personally.
LeBRON JAMES: For me personally it's driven me. It's gotten me better. I go back and look at some of those games, I look at myself and say, you are a much better player than you were then. That comes from playing games, playing postseason games, losing, winning.
But I took from that Finals that I just need to become better, not only as a basketball player, but as a leader on and off the court.
Just use it as fuel. Is it going to happen the next year? It can happen to you individually where you become a better player. But does it always get you back to the Finals? It doesn't. There's a lot of guys that have been in The Finals, and lost and never got back. You look at Allen Iverson who got to the Finals and took the 76ers to The Finals. He was great every year, every year after that, but he was never able to get back.
I'm humbled. I'm blessed that I'm able to get back to this point and to be able to redeem myself for that time when I was in The Finals against the Spurs.

Q. Are you looking forward to guarding Dirk?
LeBRON JAMES: I'm looking forward to guarding anybody. I don't care about guarding anybody. I mean, that's what I do. I'm a defensive guy. I'm not sitting up here and saying I can stop Dirk. I don't think no one can single handedly stop Dirk. He's a shot maker. One of the best shot makers we've ever had in this league. Whoever Coach puts me on or whoever I need to take the challenge on, it doesn't matter to me.

Q. Do you think he's in the top ten of all time like Carlisle says?
LeBRON JAMES: As far as what?

Q. Top ten players of all time.
LeBRON JAMES: I don't know. Dirk is a great player. There are a lot of great players that have played in this league. Dirk is one heck of a player. The things that he's able to do out on the floor, the shot-making ability, everyone said, you forced me to a bad shot. Really it's not a comfort shot for him. It looks like a bad shot if you don't know basketball or you don't know his game. One-legged fadeaways off the glass and pull-up jumpers off the dribble, pump fake, pump fake, fadeaway, things like that. He's a great player.

Q. LeBron, did people misread this whole episode with you coming to the Heat and everything? Was it more about the friendship with Wade and the two of you feeling like you can win a championship anywhere if you play together?
LeBRON JAMES: Ultimately for me it was about being in the position to compete year after year after year. And not only being able to do that, but being able to do it with one of my best friends, one of the best players we have in this league today in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. I know what this league is all about, about having multiple guys on the court that can dominate a game.
With teaming up with these guys I feel like we can compete for a lot of years to come. We've proven a lot of people wrong so far. We have a lot of work to do still.
Ultimately that's what it's about. Me being happy and also being able to compete at the highest level. That's what there league is about. This league is about.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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