Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
NEW YORK — Because of the NBA lockout, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James had a few extra months to sit around thinking about their NBA Finals loss to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.
“Yeah, well they really made us think about that loss for a long time,” Wade said Tuesday in Brooklyn.
Now that the abbreviated season is set to begin Christmas Day, Wade and the Miami Heat are anxious to make another run at the Finals.
“Obviously, just like every other team we can’t wait to get back to get an opportunity to play in the Finals,” Wade added. “So we did have a little longer to think about losing, but that’s over with.”
At that point, Chris Paul interjected, “Not as long as us,” referring to the New Orleans Hornets’ first-round loss to the Lakers.
“That’s true,” Wade said. “Ya’ll did have a long time.
“But we’re back. We’re excited about another opportunity. Hopefully everyone stays healthy and we just get an opportunity to come out every night and put our best team on the court and see what we get so we’re excited.”
James was cast as a villain last year for his “Decision” to come to South Beach. He then took added heat in the Finals for not being aggressive enough down the stretch while Nowitzki took over for the Mavs.
Now he gets another chance.
“I’m just excited personally, not only for myself and for my team, but for the fans,” James said. “I’m thankful that we were able to get this [lockout] resolved and the fans can get back to watching the game that they love.”
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
NEW YORK — Because of the NBA lockout, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James had a few extra months to sit around thinking about their NBA Finals loss to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.
“Yeah, well they really made us think about that loss for a long time,” Wade said Tuesday in Brooklyn.
Now that the abbreviated season is set to begin Christmas Day, Wade and the Miami Heat are anxious to make another run at the Finals.
“Obviously, just like every other team we can’t wait to get back to get an opportunity to play in the Finals,” Wade added. “So we did have a little longer to think about losing, but that’s over with.”
At that point, Chris Paul interjected, “Not as long as us,” referring to the New Orleans Hornets’ first-round loss to the Lakers.
“That’s true,” Wade said. “Ya’ll did have a long time.
“But we’re back. We’re excited about another opportunity. Hopefully everyone stays healthy and we just get an opportunity to come out every night and put our best team on the court and see what we get so we’re excited.”
James was cast as a villain last year for his “Decision” to come to South Beach. He then took added heat in the Finals for not being aggressive enough down the stretch while Nowitzki took over for the Mavs.
Now he gets another chance.
“I’m just excited personally, not only for myself and for my team, but for the fans,” James said. “I’m thankful that we were able to get this [lockout] resolved and the fans can get back to watching the game that they love.”
