National Basketball Association

LeBron: I'd rather not make playoffs than lose in Finals

Published Jun. 17, 2015 9:10 a.m. ET

foxsports

To say LeBron James did everything for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals is not an over-exaggeration.

James became the first player in the NBA Finals to lead both teams in points, rebounds and assists, a remarkable accomplishment even though it came in a series loss to the Golden State Warriors.

But this did not soften the blow for James, who fell to 2-4 in NBA Finals.

"I'd rather not even make the playoffs than lose in the Finals," James said after the Cavaliers' 105-97 loss Tuesday. "I would hurt a lot easier if I just didn't make the playoffs and didn't have a shot at it. But then I lock back in and then I start thinking about how fun it is to compete during the playoffs. ... But I put my body through a lot."

For three other head-scratching statements LeBron made after the loss, click here.

Despite the Cleveland Cavaliers missing two of their top scorers due to injury (Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love), James helped the Cavaliers push the Warriors — the team with the best record in the league — to six games. He finished with 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists in the series.

But this isn't the first time James has flirted with this statistical feat. In 2012, he led the Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder in rebounds and assists but finished second to Kevin Durant in points. In last year's Finals while playing for the Miami Heat he led the Heat and San Antonio Spurs in points and assists, but finished third to Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard in rebounds.