Apparently, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo had different takes on the Miami Heat's run to the 2020 NBA Finals.
James was asked about it after his Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Heat Sunday. He had nothing but respect for the Heat and their ride to the Finals.
"I knew it was probably going to be one of the most mentally challenging sets of games because they (Miami Heat) know me, and I know them well," James said. "Or I know Spo (Spoelstra), and Spo knows me so well."
The Lakers eventually won the series 4-2.
"I knew that he would try to take everything away from me that I do well," James said. "I just tried to get into the mind of his on what he wanted to do to help his team win a championship and it was just basically like playing chess."
A few weeks ago, Antetokounmpo had a different tone. His top-seeded Bucks were upset by the Heat in the second round.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Antetokounmpo seemed to say the Heat benefitted from playing in the bubble in Orlando during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Antetokounmpo hinted the Heat may have taken advantage of all the games being played in one setting and without fans. What Antetokounmpo failed to mention was he was sidelined the final two games of the series because of an ankle injury. The Heat won in five games.
“Year 7. Ended with Miami," Antetokounmpo said. "I don’t make excuses as an athlete, but it wasn’t a satisfying year for me because I felt like if it was a normal situation, it wouldn’t end up like that. But at the end of the day, I felt like Miami was built to be an NBA bubble team, you know?”
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