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LeBron James Gets Very Honest About Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra

LeBron James Gets Very Honest About Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will square off against the Miami Heat for the NBA Championship this week.

The Lakers have not been in the Finals since 2010, whereas the Heat were there as recently as 2014. Who guided the latter group to the promise land that year?

James.

On Tuesday, James spoke out about what he’s feeling having to go up against an organization with whom he won his first two titles.

“When you hear the name Pat Riley, you think about probably one of the greatest minds this game has ever had,” he said.

“He’s won at every level. I saw a stat the other day that he’s been part of a championship in every decade. This league is not the same without Riles.”

James was similarly complimentary of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

“I’m not gonna sit up here and act like I don’t know what Spo is all about,” he said.

“Cause he’s damn good, if not great. He probably is great because of his preparation. He prepares like it’s his last time ever coaching again every game, and I know that.”

Spoelstra, for his part, insisted that the respect between him and his former player was completely mutual.

“He’s seen everything at this point in his career,” Spoelstra said.

“It’s just about winning. His ability to do what he does at his age is incredibly uncommon, but there’s a lot of work behind the scenes to be able to maintain that.”

After a regular season that saw him average 25.3 points, 10.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals, James stepped things up a notch in the postseason – averaging 26.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

James will be playing in his 10th NBA Finals. His record is currently 3-6 – with two of those wins coming as a member of the Heat.

Will James be able to capture that elusive fourth ring this year? We should get the answer to that question very soon.

The Lakers and Heat will tip off for Game 1 of the NBA Finals this Wednesday at 6:00 pm PT on ABC.

Related: NBA Ratings, NFL Ratings Trending In Same Direction

Anthony Amador

A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.

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