m.usatoday.com/article/news/2439317Just an article I just read:
MIAMI — The saying in LeBron James' locker isn't reserved solely for Game 7's. It is a mantra borrowed from Bruce Lee, one that applies to every game but never moreso than Thursday's all-or-nothing matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.
"The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagements," the white sheet of paper reads. "You ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or in defeat. Let nature take its course and your tools will strike at the right moment."
James is hardly alone when it comes to the desire to meet this moment, to let his talent surface and mind stay clear when the pressure is at an all-time high. His Miami Heat teammates are part of this, too, knowing full well that falling short in the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons will change everything about how their superteam is perceived.
The San Antonio Spurs will feel the heat of the spotlight like never before as well, having blown a chance to win a fifth championship in Game 6 and take their dynasty to new heights. This, as they see it, is their time to rise to the most unique of occasions and become the first road team to win a Game 7 in the Finals since the Wes Unseld-led Washington Bullets beat the Seattle SuperSonics in 1978.
If anyone knows what it takes to thrive in times like these, it's Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell. The 11-time champion took part in 10 Game 7's, including five in the Finals — winning all 10 times and becoming the league's all-time leader in the category that matters most.
"(Celtics coach) Red (Auerbach) used to have a phrase he used: 'I don't give a damn what they're going to do; This is what we're going to do.' " Russell told USA TODAY Sports. "The difference, especially in a seventh game, is 'Can I take my team and do what we do best?' And I'm going to respect the other team. The more I respect them — without fear, but respect — the better my chances are."
Russell, who rarely does news media appearances but sat down with NBA TV before speaking with USA TODAY Sports, isn't among the masses quick to criticize James. James would be 1-3 in Finals appearances if the Heat lose in Game 7, having lost to the Spurs in 2007 while with the Cleveland Cavaliers and in 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks in his first season with the Heat. Russell made the comparison to Los Angeles Lakers great Jerry West, who lost in eight of nine Finals appearances.
"If I remember correctly, Jerry never won a championship until I retired (in 1969)," Russell said of West, who won his lone title in 1972. "But everybody nowadays says he was a great, great player. LeBron is (28) years old, and so far he's doing wonderful. The comparisons that are being made are being made by people who really don't know what they're doing.
"He's been to the Finals now ... four times. Think about the Finals. When you're on a team, and you're playing in the last game your league has each year, you had a great year, OK? The Finals are not invitation-only. You get there by winning."
For all the talk of James not being able to deliver in the clutch in years past, he has been tremendous in Game 7s. He lost two Game 7s with the Cavaliers and has won two with the Heat, while averaging 33.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game. James said he planned on keeping his state of mind light heading into what he admitted might be the biggest game of his career. He'd spent time with friends and family, including his two young sons who, as he said, would make him watch SpongeBob SquarePants like they so often do.
"You don't want to think about the game too much," James said. "I understand it's a huge game. It's probably going to be one of the biggest games, if not the biggest game, of my life. But I'm going to just keep it the same way I've been doing, and tomorrow night I'll be able to focus in about on the job at hand.
"While I'm (awake), I'm going to think about ways I can help the team, certain situations, certain plays that I can get better with. I will play Game 7 in my head from now until tomorrow night. It's just who I am, how I am."
This Game 7, as Heat guard Dwyane Wade made clear, will be easier because the Heat already survived a Game 6 elimination game.
"When you get to elimination games ... every possession becomes so much," Wade said. "Every turnover, everything is magnified from that standpoint. Whenever you get in an elimination game, it's like that. But you just have to keep playing the game. You can't win it in 40 minutes. You can't win it in 45 minutes. You've got to do it in 48. So you have to just keep fighting."