The Miami Heat are going for their third straight NBA title starting on Thursday night, but it was the 2013 NBA Finals that star LeBron James was talking about on the eve of the 2014 Finals.
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James was on the defensive Wednesday when addressing the notion that a few lucky bounces in Game 6 against the San Antonio Spurs last year saved Miami's season ahead of the rematch between the Heat and Spurs in this year's marquee NBA series.
"We feel slighted," James told ESPN. "I can't sit here and lie to you, we do. ... It went seven [games], it wasn't like it was 3-0 and they had us in Game 4 and we took it and won four straight. If you look at the numbers, look at the numbers, the lead changes, the ties and the points in that series, it's almost even."
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The Heat trailed three times against the Spurs in last year's series, and was on the brink of elimination in Game 6 with 28.2 seconds left before mounting a comeback that was capped when Ray Allen drained a three-pointer to force overtime.. The Heat eventually won Game 6 and then the series in seven games.
Dwyane Wade also pointed to the fact that the Spurs won Game 1 on a clutch shot by Tony Parker, and that no one refers to that win as lucky.
"Game 6 was unbelievable to be able to come back and win that game," Wade said via ESPN. "But that's the game of basketball. You know, the ball bounces funny ways. Game 1, the shot that Tony Parker hit, I mean, that was unbelievable, to get off the ground and hit that shot and just get it off."
Wade believes that basketball is a game of bounces and that the Heat were fortunate, but it wasn't the only reason why they won.
"The ball bounces in funny ways," Wade said. "And we're thankful for Ray Allen making that shot, but there were so many other things that had to play right for us to win that game. So you need a little luck, both ways, even to be in the Finals. We were a recipient of luck in that [Game 6] moment, but we won the championship."
Most teams will tell you that to win a championship in sports, it takes a lot of skill and some luck as well, and the Heat hope that they play well enough and are perhaps are even lucky enough to three-peat as NBA Champions when the series with the Spurs tips off Wednesday night in San Antonio.
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