“It was like playing chess” - LeBron James reveals what it was like to go up against Eric Spoelstra’s Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals
LeBron James compared battling former coach Eric Spoelstra and the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals to playing a game of chess.
The LA Lakers star was asked about the challenge of going head-to-head against his former team in the 2020 Finals, shortly after his team's 107-113 loss against the Heat on Sunday. Here's what 'King James' had to say about it during the post-game press conference (via Spectrum SportsNet):
"I knew it was probably going to be one of the most mentally challenging sets of games because they (Miami Heat) know me, and I know them well. Or I know Spo (Spoelstra), and Spo knows me so well."
He added:
"I knew that he would try to take everything away from me that I do well. I just tried to get into the mind of his on what he wanted to do to help his team win a championship and it was just basically like playing chess."
LeBron James won the first of his four NBA championships playing under Eric Spoelstra for the Miami Heat in 2012. The player-coach duo won two championships together and made four consecutive Finals appearances during James' stint at South Beach.
“I’m in one of the best zones I’ve been offensively in my career and I don’t plan on stopping it." @KingJames on his workload over the last 17 games. https://t.co/QbTpZGvds9
The two went head-to-head in a playoff scenario for the first time during the 2020 NBA Finals. James happened to win the game of 'chess,' as he led the Lakers to their record 17th NBA title, beating Spoelstra's side in six games.
LeBron James' Lakers lose for the fifth time in seven games following defeat against Miami Heat
LeBron James and the LA Lakers recorded another embarrassing loss when they took on the Miami Heat on Sunday. The Lakers struggled on defense for most of the game, allowing Jimmy Butler and co. to take a 26-point lead midway through the third quarter.
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LA tried to make their way back into the game by cutting the Miami Heat's lead down to just four points with just under a minute left in the final quarter. However, a misplaced inbound pass by Talen Horton-Tucker took the opportunity away from the Lakers. They failed to capitalize on their fourth-quarter effort and couldn't complete the turnaround to pull off a surprising win.
The Lakers once again had to rely on LeBron James to produce a positive result. The 37-year-old registered his 21st 30-point game of the season, bagging 33 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals. He shot an efficient 54.2% from the field on 22 attempts and converted eight of his 11 free-throws.
Russell Westbrook (24 points) and Avery Bradley (15 points) were the only other players aside from James who played somewhat efficiently. The Lakers have now fallen to 23-24 for the campaign.
Frank Vogel's side will be looking for a turnaround with Anthony Davis likely to return from injury against the Brooklyn Nets in their next match on Tuesday.