James said, “It’s great for our league.”
CLEVELAND — LeBron James hasn’t slowed the Warriors, and he’s hardly alone.
Toying with other teams, Golden State has turned the NBA postseason into its personal playground, storming to a record 15 straight wins and moving within a victory on Friday night in Game 4 of another title and into the conversation of the best teams ever.
And although it appears James, playing in his seventh straight Finals, will again fall short of a championship, Cleveland’s superstar isn’t faulting the Warriors for adding Kevin Durant to a 73-win team.
He’d do the same thing.
“It’s part of the rules,” James said Thursday, hours after the Cavs fell 118-113 to slip into a 3-0 hole. “But is it fair? I don’t care. It’s great for our league. Right now, look at our TV ratings, look at the money our league is pouring in. I mean, guys are loving the game, our fans love the game. I mean, who am I to say if it’s fair or not?”
James, who left Cleveland in 2010 to join All-Stars Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami, said he doesn’t begrudge the Warriors for signing Kevin Durant and adding him to a roster that already had Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. He pointed out that the NBA isn’t the only league where dynasties have been built by owners throwing around money, using the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s as examples.
“I’m not one to judge and say if it’s fair or not if guys are adding players to their team,” he said. “It happens. It’s sports. You have an opportunity to sign one of the best players, and you can do it, go ahead and do it. Why not? If I become an owner, I’m going to try to sign everybody.”