When he started his run of seven consecutive NBA Finals in 2011, LeBron James would watch and read criticism of himself when he struggled.

LeBron James is embarking on his seventh consecutive trip to the Finals, and eighth overall. But, as the numbers show, he hasn't been the same player the entire time. Meet the three LeBrons.

After he scored just eight points in a Game 4 loss to the Dallas Mavericks that year, for example, James offered a public thank you to columnists who criticized him.

Those days for James are over, and he made that clear Saturday as his Cleveland Cavaliers try to recover from a poor Game 1 performance against the Golden State Warriors.

"I really don't hear the noise. I couldn't really care less. It really doesn't matter to me," James said.

"The narrative and people writing articles and things like that, I don't care. Those things doesn't bother me. So it's hard for me to even tell my teammates, hey, don't listen to it, because I don't even get involved in it.

"I stopped caring a long time ago, so it doesn't even bother me at all."

Earlier in the week, James said that he used to get caught up in perceptions about him while competing in the Finals. Discussions of his legacy and his ability to deliver in clutch playoff situations, for example, have been common topics that have filled airwaves and websites during June games.

James said as he has aged and experienced more success, he has moved on from that focus.

"I'm not in that department anymore. I left that in [my] 20s. I'm not in the 'prove people wrong, silence critics people' department no more. I got a promotion when I got to the 30s," James said. "So at the end of the day, I know what I've done and I know what I've built."

Source:
courtesy of ESPN

by Brian Windhorst

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