NBA finals: Miami Heat turns its attention to Oklahoma City Thunder - Washington Post

MIAMI â€" Dwyane Wade and LeBron James sat side-by-side behind microphones early Sunday morning, peering out at reporters through matching black-rimmed nerd fashion glasses. About 90 minutes before, the Miami Heat had defeated the Boston Celtics, 101-88, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, kicking off a short, understated celebration at center court.

As Wade and James fielded questions before heading out of American Airlines Arena, one reporter wanted to know what each had to say to the critics who had “dug a grave” for the Heat after they fell behind in the series, 3-2, with a loss on their home court in Game 5. The reporter emphasized that he wanted answers “from both of you.”

James chuckled. He began tapping his folded hands with his thumb.

“Thank you,” Wade said.

The reporter waited for further comment. James kept tapping his thumb, his eyes darting behind his glasses.

“Thank you,” Wade repeated, grinning. “Appreciate it.”

James left the question alone. After earning a date with the Thunder in the NBA Finals, which begin Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, Miami’s biggest stars seemed determined to turn to the next order of business, rather than spar. They resisted the temptation to fire back at the grave-diggers who suggested that they couldn’t compete with balanced, team-oriented squads, didn’t have the heart to advance to a second straight NBA Finals and couldn’t win close games.

“That’s somebody else’s truth,” Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We have a very confident group . . . And that’s why we didn’t panic in either one of these last two series when we got behind. . . . Coming down in the stretch of fourth quarters, you could possibly have said that about our basketball team last year. Not this year.”

Miami gets another chance to silence its critics â€" or inflame them â€" against a team that will bring a vastly different style than the experienced, defensive-oriented, balanced Celtics. The easy-to-love Thunder are defined by energetic youth, potent scoring and star power to rival Miami’s.

James, the league’s Most Valuable Player, will get to showcase his skills against Kevin Durant, the runner-up for the honor and the NBA scoring leader â€" and a guy James trained with in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, during last summer’s lockout.

James has averaged 30.8 points and 9.6 rebounds during the playoffs; Durant, 27.8 and 7.9.

It’s the very matchup, James said, he dreamed about when he and Durant endured the grueling training camp of sorts that they dubbed “Hell Week.” The pair got so tight they even led opposing teams in a televised game of flag football at the University of Akron in late November.

“I envisioned it every day we worked out,” James said. “I understood what his passion was. I understood what his drive was. We pushed each other every single day. . . . He was a little upset about the series in Dallas, where they got eliminated by Dallas, and I was, as well. So we pushed each other each and every day. . . . I was happy for him that he’s able to get to the Finals. I’m looking forward to going against him.”