Miami's LeBron James comes back to Boston, post of playoff slump with Cavs, in a preferable state of psyche: LeBron James is in a good place, even if he's going back to the scene of his not-so-grand finale with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With his next game in Boston, James is in a good place mentally these days. So the fact that he has to play on the Celtics' parquet floor Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals - where he flopped in what turned out to be his final game as a Cleveland Cavalier - is not exactly weighing heavily on him.
With Miami up 2-0 and having a fairly easy time with the Celtics, James is not second-guessing "The Decision" to move to the Heat last summer. And why would he? The Heat is 6-1 in the playoffs, and with James getting a chance to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on a nightly basis, he's no longer required to carry the entire load.
"I felt I made the right choice to be a part of this franchise and be alongside Dwyane and Chris," James said after scoring 35 points in the Heat's Game 2 win in Miami. "Our conversations were always about what we can create. It's always been about the playoffs. It's only been our seventh playoff game together and we're just trying to get better and trying to be great."
The Heat has looked that good in this series. James and Wade have outplayed Boston's Big Three, while the Heat has used its superior athleticism, a fast-closing defense and a huge disparity at the foul line to send the Celts to a 2-0 deficit for the first time since Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen teamed up in 2007-08. In the series, the Heat has outscored Boston at the line 53-31 while taking 28 more foul shots.
As much as James was criticized for leaving the Cavs, he is more convinced than ever that he did the right thing after two MVP seasons in Cleveland but only one trip to an NBA Finals. "In the past, I knew if I don't bring my A-plus game, there's a good chance we wouldn't win the game," he said. "Not taking anything away from my former teammates, but every day I had to be very good. Now, having guys on the court who can take over the game, when you're not having a great game, it takes a load off of you. ... It's all coming together at the right time."
It all came apart a year ago in Boston. James finished his Cavs career with two of his worst games. His effort in a 32-point loss in Game 5, Cleveland's worst home playoff defeat ever, was universally panned. Two nights later in Boston, he capped another un-LeBron-like effort by refusing Mike Brown's orders to foul late. When James bolted for Miami, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert accused him of tanking those games and others.
Before this series, James said he didn't pay any attention to those charges, calling them "corny." But his teammates know that he has been driven to win and restore his reputation. "You have to learn your lessons and I don't think he has let any of those lessons he has gone through go to waste," Bosh said. "He has been persevering through different criticisms that have come his way. "