SAN ANTONIO - LeBron James should be used to the NBA Finals by now. Wholesale Jerseys 2021 . After five trips to the championship series in eight years, it would make sense if he had a been-there, done-that attitude when stepping onto the sports biggest stage. He doesnt. On Wednesday James took a seat inside a makeshift interview area, sneaked a quick glance at the NBA Finals signage that was off to his left side, and beamed like a kid in a candy store. Just a couple years removed from being ripped for not delivering in the moments that decide championships, James seems more comfortable in these surroundings than ever. "Im blessed, man," James said. "Thats all I can say." And then, without stopping, the four-time MVP said much more. "This is my fifth appearance in a finals," he continued. "Im blessed. I was a kid who watched so many finals appearances and, you know, watched Michael Jordan and watched Shaq and Kobe ... we watched throwback finals games. ... I just wished maybe I could see the finals verbiage behind me and be a part of this." His wishes come true again Thursday night, when James and the Miami Heat open these finals against the San Antonio Spurs, the NBAs first championship-series rematch since 1998. The Heat are going for a third straight title, the Spurs are trying for their fifth crown since 1999. If Miami wins, the perception will be James came through. If Miami loses, the perception will be he didnt do enough. James knows thats the reality. He doesnt mind. "I play for my teammates, our team, the city of Miami, my friends and family, and I gave it all for that," James said. "And at the end of the day, win, lose or draw, Im satisfied with that. I dont get involved in what people say about me and my legacy. I think its actually kind of stupid." By now, the story behind James rise to a champion is no secret. He left Cleveland in 2010 because he felt Miami gave him a better opportunity to win titles. In 2011, when Miami lost to Dallas in the final round, James said he was relying too much upon proving his doubters and naysayers wrong. So the next season, he vowed to play the game the way he had in the past. Championship No. 1 came in 2012, championship No. 2 came last season in an epic seven-game series against the Spurs, and now the shot at No. 3 is here. "Hes really taken his game to a whole other level," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "Obviously as an individual hes grown, as a man, both on and off the court from his own experiences. So I think hes done a phenomenal job. ... If I sit back and look from afar, hes done an unbelievable job under the microscope that hes been under since he was 16 years old of doing things his way and been very successful at doing them." If James is feeling pressure right now, it doesnt show publicly. Away from the public eye, though, teammates have marveled all season about how someone who makes more than $50 million a year in salary and endorsements is working perhaps harder than ever. "Nothing he does is normal," Heat forward Michael Beasley said. "He practices wearing a weight vest. Does that sound normal?" James spent the majority of his question-answering time Wednesday laughing or smiling. Off-stage, he joked with a few other people, chatting and seeming as relaxed as he would if this was the eve of a Heat-Spurs game in January, not one in June. The Spurs are worried about stopping James, they know that wont happen. "We understand LeBron is the best player in the league and just physically hes just a monster," San Antonio forward Tim Duncan said. In 2007, when the Spurs swept Cleveland, James was still learning. In 2011, he felt like he absolutely had to win, and failed to get it done. In 2012 and 2013, he just played the game the way he felt it needs to be played. And its no coincidence that its all fallen into place since. "Every time I come up here and talk to you guys or I do something, you know, very well on the basketball floor or off the floor, my city is rewarded by that," James said. "My family is rewarded by that, my friends are rewarded by that, the kids and all the kids in the world that look up to me are rewarded by that. Thats enough to get me by. Everything else is extra credit." Wholesale NFL Jerseys .com) - On a night the Bulls played without Derrick Rose, it was time for Pau Gasol to take charge. Wholesale Jerseys 2020 .com) - Sixth-seeded Feliciano Lopez was a first-round winner on Monday at the Delray Beach Open tennis event. https://www.wholesalejerseysaaa.com/ . PAUL, Minn.LOS ANGELES -- Ty Lawson and Jordan Hamilton scored 15 points apiece, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 97-88 Sunday night in their preseason debut under new coach Brian Shaw. Pau Gasol had 13 points and four rebounds in his preseason debut for the Lakers. Steve Nash had six assists in 22 scoreless minutes before going to the locker room in the third quarter of his own exhibition debut. JaVale McGee had 12 points and seven assists for the Nuggets, who committed 28 turnovers and 33 fouls. They still won a poorly played game by both teams for Shaw, the longtime Lakers guard and assistant coach. Xavier Henry had 15 points in his second high-scoring game for the Lakers. Gasol and Nash sat out the Lakers exhibition opener in Ontario on Saturday night when Los Angeles snapped a 10-game exhibition winless streak over the last three years. The Lakers rested Jordan Farmar and Chris Kaman against Denver in their plan to keep their veterans fresh during the preseason. Marcus Landry scored 13 points for the Lakers, who must play four preseason games in six days before a weeklong trip to China for two more exhibitions against Golden State. Kobe Bryant is highly unlikely to play for the Lakers in the ppreseason while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, and Shaw -- a Bryant confidante -- said he thinks Kobe will miss the season opener Oct. Wholesale Jerseys 2022. . 29 against the Clippers. Shaw won three NBA titles as a Lakers guard, and he earned two more rings while spending seven seasons as an assistant. He was a popular candidate among fans to replace Phil Jackson two seasons ago, but the Buss family chose Mike Brown -- and when Brown was fired early last season, the Busses bypassed Shaw again to hire Mike DAntoni. Instead, the Nuggets hired Shaw in June to replace George Karl, who was fired despite winning a franchise-record 57 games and his first NBA Coach of the Year award after Denvers first-round exit from the playoffs. Wesley Johnson left the game in the first half with a strained left foot and didnt return for the Lakers. The fourth-year pro, who will have an MRI on Monday, is trying to earn a spot after three disappointing NBA seasons in Minnesota and Phoenix. The Lakers went through a 1-for-15 shooting stretch in the first half and finished 15 for 51, but Denver committed 16 turnovers while taking a 46-44 halftime lead. Evan Fournier scored nine points before halftime for the Nuggets. ' ' '