The Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the defending champion Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers will begin on Wednesday. However, the teams have already engaged in early interaction with one another.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel made a statement during the postgame news conference referring to Miami as "just the next team" standing between Indiana and a shot at an NBA title. Indiana fell to the Heat during the conference semis last season en route to the Heat's first championship since the alignment of it's core group of superstars in 2010.
One player that took exception to those comments was LeBron James. The reigning NBA MVP responded to the Pacers coach telling ESPN that he felt disrespected by the comments.
"We're not just another team," James said. "I don't understand what he's saying. But we're not just another team. That's not true. He said we're just another team in their way. We're a great team. If we're just another team, you really don't prepare for just another team. You have to prepare for us."
This marks the second straight postseason the Heat and Pacers have engaged in a war of words before facing each other. Vogel was fined $15,000 last spring for saying the Heat were "the biggest flopping team in the NBA."
Indiana took a 2-1 series lead before Miami won the next three games while playing without injured center Chris Bosh. James said his ears perked up when he heard Vogel's postgame remarks Saturday night after the Knicks series.
The Eastern Conference Finals begins Wednesday, six days after the Heat ousted the Chicago Bulls in five games.
"We're very confident," James said. "We'll be ready for them. We don't need bulletin-board material. We've heard everything, we've seen everything. But I would say we're not just another team, though."
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