LeBron James owns titles and rings, and no shortage of confidence even with the Cleveland Cavaliers trailing 3-2 and facing elimination Tuesday in the NBA Finals. “I feel confident because I’m the best player in the world,” James said. “It’s that simple.”
The close-out game will be the most challenging. It’s a situation James has survived – just two years ago, in fact – and he is playing in his fifth consecutive NBA Finals.
History might favor James in Game 6, with the Golden State Warriors needing another victory in either of the two remaining games in the best-of-seven series for their first title since 1975.
In 2013, the Miami Heat rallied from a 3-2 hole to stun the San Antonio Spurs.
James is averaging 36.6 points, 12.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists in these finals. He took umbrage to the notion that the Warriors’ game plan is to let James score and stop everyone else. Even for the NBA’s highest-scoring team, the “us against him” notion doesn’t jibe with James.
“You don’t let me have 40, I go get 40,” James said.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he’s not ‘enjoying the marveling’ at James’ performance in these Finals, which is better statistically than any Michael Jordan put together in winning six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, four with Kerr as a teammate. James scored or assisted on 70 of the Cavaliers 91 points on Sunday.
“I know he’s going to come at us. I wonder how to stop him,” Kerr said. “But he’s going to attack. He’s going to have the ball in his hands almost every play, particularly with (point guard) Kyrie (Irving) out, and that’s the trick, right? How do you slow him down? How do you keep him from dominating the game? Scoring himself or finding 3 point shooters? And there is a balance in there somewhere that we’re trying to find, and it’s pretty hard.”
James said he isn’t trying to win games by himself. Cavaliers coach David Blatt, who called James better than tremendous in the past five games, said they need every bit of what James is bringing. That includes confidence, leadership and experience.
“We’ll worry about Tuesday first,” James said. “But if we protect home like we’re capable of doing, we force a Game 7. I feel confident.”