LeBron James highlights 'luck' factor during Heat vs Spurs saving Miami's 2013 Finals run
LeBron James has a lot of playoff action in the NBA and knows what it takes to win a title and to put together a playoff run. His talent has won him a lot of games.
However, the GOAT acknowledges more than effort and talent is required to win a title. When asked how he felt about luck in the playoffs, James said:
“Need it.”
He said the above to J.J. Redick on the latest episode of their podcast “Mind The Game.” James also said even the greatest teams sometimes need the ball to bounce their way.
His championship-winning 2013 Miami Heat team was one of those teams. James said they got lucky with Ray Allen’s iconic shot in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals.
“I missed the three and who knows if Timmy (Duncan) is in," James said, "does he clean glass? He has cleaned a lot of glass in his career. But Bosh is able to get the rebound over Manu (Ginobli).”
The Heat got a little lucky that the Spurs took Tim Duncan out of the game to guard the perimeter. Miami’s luck did not end there.
“Ray back pedals, does not even look at the line," James added. "What if he steps on the line backpedaling? What if his toe is on the line? There is a lot of preparation because I saw Ray do that every day but I believe there is some luck to that too.”
Allen forced overtime with the shot. The Heat pulled out the win 103-100 in overtime to force Game 7. In the deciding game, Miami defended its home court and won its second straight NBA title.
LeBron James reflects on Kawhi Leonard's infamous injury with Zaza Pachulia
LeBron James and Redick shared other memorable moments when luck, good or bad, changed important NBA playoff series. James reminded Redick of the unfortunate moment when the 2017 Western Conference finals were flipped on its head.
“I mean off the top of my head I start to think of, unfortunately, what happened with Kawhi with the Zaza Pechulia thing," James said. "The Spurs were f**king good. They were handling the shit out of Golden State up until that point. You get Kawhi go down with the ankle and it's like oh shit the whole thing changes.”
Leonard left Game 1 of the 2017 series and never returned to the series. The Warriors went on to easily win the series in a sweep.
They then took out James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals. The Warriors beat the Cavs 4-1 in the finals.