After passing Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson to move to sixth in the all-time list for NBA Finals games played, Lebron James said after the Lakers' Game 2 win that playing in the finals will “never get old”.
King James narrowly missed out on a triple-double, finishing the Lakers’ 124-114 triumph over the Miami Heat with 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as his team took a commanding 2-0 lead in the season-ending series.
"It never gets old being on this stage," said the 35-year-old in a post-game interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols. "That's what I work my tail off for, […] I am honoured to be with such a great franchise with such great team-mates, coaching staff and fanbase. It will never get old to me. I just try to take full advantage of it while I can.
"It's a great team we are playing. We understand they put you in some really tough positions when they are on offense, said James. I am looking forward to watching the film once again and seeing where we can be better, because we can be."
James and Davis are a deadly duo
His all-star teammate Anthony Davis scored 32 points on 14-15 shooting, making them the first duo to score more than 32 points each in a Finals game since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal did it against the New Jersey Nets in 2002.
"We want to do whatever it takes to help our team win," said Davis. "When you got two guys who want to win as bad as we do and be dominant every game, you have games like we had tonight."
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said about the duo: "They attack the defense. They both have the ability to score against single coverage. They both have that elite ability to read defenses. Both are extremely determined to win the championship and bring the ability to play at an elite level."
32 PTS on 15-20 shooting, 14 REB in the Game 2 win.
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) October 3, 2020
Anthony Davis is the first @Lakers player with back-to-back 30+ point games in the NBA Finals since Kobe Bryant in 2010. #NBAFinals #SAPStatLineOfTheNight pic.twitter.com/0sFjHaQTnC
In memory of Kobe
Also, the Lakers wore the special 'Black Mamba' jerseys once again on Friday night, in the memory of the basketball great Bryant who sadly passed away at the beginning of the year, and remained undefeated in them which James had his say on.
Speaking of Bryant, Lebron said: “It is special to represent someone who meant so much, not only to the game, but to the Lakers organization for 20+ years, and for us to honor him being on the floor, that is what it’s all about.
“We are thinking about the Bryant family. They are with us. We love you guys. Hopefully, we are making them proud by wearing these uniforms tonight and through the playoffs."