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LeBron James: Heat feel slighted by descriptions of their 2013 championship

LeBron James

LeBron James

AP

The Spurs should have won the 2013 championship.

It’s an assertion I’ve heard repeatedly in the last year.

It’s just not true.

The Spurs COULD have won the 2013 championship – and there is a difference.

Up five with 24 seconds left in Game 6, San Antonio saw it’s lead slip. Yes, the Spurs made mistakes. Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard missed key free throws, and San Antonio still could have won in regulation.

But the Heat did a lot right, too. LeBron James made a huge 3-point. Chris Bosh grabbed an offensive rebound in traffic and kicked the ball to Ray Allen, who made the game-tying 3-pointer.

The Heat could have won – and they did. Both teams could have won. That’s how it works in close series. To say the Spurs should have won is not fair to Miami.

And LeBron knows it.

Matt Moore of Eye on Basketball:

LeBron James said Wednesday before Heat practice in advance of Game 1 of the NBA Finals that the Heat feel “slighted” at the suggestion that the Spurs gave away last year’s Finals after Miami’s comeback in Game 6.

“Absolutely (we feel slighted). I can’t sit here and lie to you, we do. We feel slighted in the fact that it went seven. It went seven. It wasn’t like it was 3-0 and you know, they had us in Game 4 and we took it and won four straight.


It is a little strange to hear the Finals MVP talk about how the title-winning team got slighted, even if he’s correct. But I don’t think LeBron is as concerned about being right as he’s trying to motivate himself for these Finals.

In that regard, the Spurs have a much easier job. Feel slighted? Of course they do. They lost! Losing is a slight.

LeBron is reaching a little bit, but that’s the only way he’ll find outside motivation to use to his advantage.

PBT Extra: Spurs have an edge over Heat in Finals