Lebron James admitted Monday he is finding it harder and harder to accept the bitter sting of defeat in the NBA Finals as he prepares for another tilt at glory this year.
The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar suffered his fourth loss in six NBA finals appearances in June after being pipped by the Golden State Warriors.
And the 29-year-old acknowledged the latest failure at the final hurdle hurt more than ever.
“Every year you lose in the Finals, it gets worse and worse to get over,” James told reporters at a media day for the Cavaliers.
“Last year during the postseason (I asked) would I rather not even make the playoffs than lose in the Finals? It’s a very valid question to myself. You get all the way there and you lose, it’s like, ‘I could have those two months back, be laying out, helping my body get better.”
James is adamant however that he wouldn’t have swapped his Finals appearances for anything.
“For me, I will take all the pain that comes with competing for the championship at the end of the day,” he said.
James believes the Cavaliers will be able to build on the team spirit that took them to the brink of the title last season.
“What happened last year is last year. I think we can build off last year, the chemistry we had, but we can’t build off the success as far as wins and losses. It’s a whole new year,” he said.
“We’ve got to have the same focus, we’ve got to have the same mind frame, we’ve got to have the same one goal, and that’s to get better every single day, improve each and every month, and that will give us the best possible chance to play into June.”
James believes the return to fitness of power forward Kevin Love will allow him to take more time off in 2015-16.
“I think Kevin Love will allow me to sit a lot this year just because of his abilities and what he’s able to do,” James said.
“I don’t need to be as hard-headed. I will be smart about it.”