LeBron James has 'nightmares' over missed opportunities in NBA Finals
Just live and let go, LeBron James.
The King has already cemented his position as one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen, yet even with 11 All-Star appearances and four MVP awards on his resume, a 2-4 record in the NBA Finals will forever be held against him - as unfair as it may be.
His most recent championship defeat came at the hands of the Golden State Warriors a little over a month ago, with James failing to bring the Cleveland Cavaliers its first Larry O'Brien trophy in franchise history in his first year back with the team.
During a recent appearance on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius XM, James expressed the heartache that comes from falling short when a title is on the line.
"I just don't feel like you ever move on from losing in the Finals," he said, "because you feel like you're right there and you have a great opportunity to do something special. ... I can never get away from losing in the Finals."
A LeBron-led squad has represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals each of the last five seasons. Getting there is half the battle, though, as the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks have also prevented James from amassing more rings.
"I guess there's nightmares now about situations throughout the games that's always replaying in my head," James added. "It was definitely difficult, you know I'm getting better every day, but it takes quite a while for me to get out of the funk."
There's only so much James could have done against the Warriors, as both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were on the sidelines nursing injuries. Without his All-Star teammates by his side, James averaged a near triple-double of 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists, although he shot just 39.8 percent from the field and 31 percent from 3-point range in the series.
"If we had our two All-Stars in the lineup it gives us a better shot," James said. "Does it say we're gonna win the championship? Does not. You've still got to go out on the floor and play the game, but it definitely gives us a much better shot than we had."
The Cavaliers will enter their 2015-16 campaign as the odds-on favorites to return to the Finals from the East. James re-signed for a reported two-year, $47-million deal, while Love landed a new five-year max contract.
The status of free agents Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith remains up in the air, although general manager David Griffin expects both to be back.
- with h/t to ESPN