Minutes after his memorable comments in the NBA Finals Game 5 postgame news conference, LeBron James came up with what he should have said during the media session.
James, frustrated with a reporter's question or the turn of the finals against his Cleveland Cavaliers - or both - told the media. "I'm confident because I'm the best player in the world."
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CBS Sports' Ken Berger reported that he sought out the Chosen One to elaborate on what he meant.
"It's all about me putting in the work," he told CBSSports.com. "It's just basically saying, like I always say, I feel like I'm the MVP every night. I feel like what I'm capable of doing in this league is the one of the best if not the best."
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The big difference in the two responses was King James' use of the phrase "feel like" in the second one to CBS.
James then admitted his postgame bravado wasn't a response he'd typically use.
"Nah, it's not," he said. "But it came out."
James had begun to earn a lot of sympathy over not getting the typical "superstar's calls" from the officiating crew early in the NBA Finals. Moreover, his heroic play had begun to earn the begrudging respect from naysayers - or at least silence them temporarily - as the Cavs took a 2-1 series lead.
He has been spectacular in four of the five games but simply has had nothing left in each of the last two games and no help as the Warriors ran away with both in the fourth quarter to take a 3-2 series lead.
Berger wrote that he detected a look of remorse in James for his post-Game 5 comments.
"As James made his way out of the arena with longtime friend Maverick Carter, he was smiling almost sheepishly -- as though he regretted having said it," Berger reported.
"When you're true to the game, it doesn't matter if it's a regular-season game or a Finals game," James said. "You just go out and trust what you put into the game and you live with the results."
If only James had done that a few minutes earlier.
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