LeBron might have stayed in Miami if they beat San Antonio

MANILA, Philippines – One of the most popular stories over the past summer in the National Basketball Association (NBA) was the decision of four-time league MVP LeBron James to return to his hometown team of the Cleveland Cavaliers after spending the last four years of his career wearing a Miami Heat uniform.

In each of his four seasons (2010-2014) with the Heat franchise, James and company made it to the NBA Finals while winning NBA championships in 2012 and 2013, which helped elevate James’ reputation as the best player in the league. 

Had James and company defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals, they would be entering the upcoming 2014-2015 NBA season as three-time defending champions and gunning for their fifth straight Eastern Conference Championship. 

However, the Spurs had other plans beat the Heat in five games, playing a huge role in James’ decision to depart from Miami and head back home to Ohio.

“It’s a greater chance, for sure,” James told CNN’s Rachel Nichols about staying in Miami had they beat San Antonio in an interview for the program’s show called “Unguarded,” which will air on Saturday, September 27 (PH time).

James mentioned that going for a fourth straight championship – something that hasn’t been accomplished since Bill Russell’s Celtics in the 1960s won 8 straight – would have been hard to leave behind.

“I mean, it would be hard to leave back-to-back-to-back championships and try to go for four. But, obviously, you really can’t live and think of what may have happened.

“I’ve always been a person who kind of lived in the moment.” 

After averaging 27.1 PPG, 6.9 APG, and 6.4 RPG during the 2013-2014 NBA season, James will join a Cavaliers team loaded with talent. Included in the roster are All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love; young rising players Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson; and quality veteran guys like Shawn Marion, Mike Miller, and Anderson Varejao, to name a few.

(RELATED: Was Kyrie Irving’s FIBA breakout a portent of things to come?)

About winning a championship, James says: “I understand what it takes to get there. I understand what it takes to win. It’s so difficult. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

LeBron and company open their season on October 31 (PH Time) when they host the New York Knicks in James’ first game back on his old stomping grounds at the Quicken Loans Arena. The following evening, November 1, the Cavaliers fly to Chicago to take on the Bulls at the United Center in what could be a preview of the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. – Rappler.com