LeBron keen to erase 2007 Finals nightmare

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – LeBron James will aim to  bury bitter memories of the 2007 NBA Finals when the Cleveland  Cavaliers begin their playoff drive against the Detroit Pistons tomorrow.  

Two years after the San Antonio Spurs annihilated the  Cavaliers 4-0, forward James wants to begin a new chapter.  
“It’s a big motivation,” James said yesterday of the 2007  blowout. “To see how close we were but how far we were from an  NBA championship team, it motivated me a lot.  

“That’s the reason I’m the player I am today, going through  that experience. You only can get better when you hit bumps in  the road.” 
James averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists a  game this season while leading the Cavaliers to an NBA-best  66-16 record, including 39-2 at home.  

The five-times All-Star is a leading candidate, along with  the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and the Miami Heat’s Dwayne  Wade, to capture his first MVP award. 
 
But while James feels the award would be a nice personal  achievement, he really wants to win his first title.  
“I’m at the point in my career that if I’m not competing for  an NBA championship, then I’m wasting my time and I’m wasting my  team mates’ time,” he said.
  
“To be in a position to be in the playoffs and to fight for  an NBA championship, I’m looking forward to it.”  
Cleveland lost in the Eastern Conference semi-finals last  season after a compiling a 45-37 record but added former  Milwaukee point guard Mo Williams and everything changed. 

James said his game “getting better in the offseason” was  only one reason the Cavaliers are mounting a serious challenge  for their first title. “The addition of Mo Williams in the offseason has really  helped us,” said James. “We’ve had team chemistry from day one.  Everyone has been focused on winning an NBA championship and  getting better from the first day of training camp.” 
 
While many NBA fans have already marked on their calendars a  Cavaliers match-up against champions Boston Celtics for the East  crown, James will not look beyond Detroit.  

“There’s no way you can overlook the Pistons,” he said.  “This is a team that’s been to the Eastern Conference finals six  years in a row.  
“We know how experienced that team is. We know how powerful  and dangerous that team is. So we’re looking forward to the  challenge just like it was the Eastern Conference finals.”