Winning an NBA title isn’t easy, especially when you have to go through LeBron James, who has made it to 10 championship series.
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is well aware of the fact that James stands in his way of the ultimate goal, but also acknowledged that the three-time Finals MVP has a great supporting cast.
“It’s been like this for a very long time. If you want to win, you’re going to have to go through a LeBron James-led team,” the Miami Heat forward said after advancing to his first career NBA Finals Sunday, courtesy of The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver. “At the end of the day, that’s what it normally comes down to, and that’s what we got to focus in on.
“Obviously, can’t just focus in on him because he’s got so many really good players around him. But you’re going to get the same test over and over again until you pass it, and that test is LeBron James.”
James is 3-6 all-time in the championship round, winning in 2012 and 2013 with the Heat and 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite that, though, James has reached a historic mark.
The 35-year-old’s 10th Finals appearance is more than all but three NBA franchises, and he’s the only player in league history to average more than 25 points per game in the postseason on three separate Finals teams.
After James and the Lakers missed the playoffs last season, the team now becomes just the fourth team in NBA history since 1984 to reach the Finals one year after missing the postseason entirely.
Miami, on the other hand, is making their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014 after defeating the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday. The Heat are the first fifth seed to reach the penultimate round.
