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"You know, third time in the finals in nine years, there's a lot of guys who don't get there once," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "Of course, that right there in itself is an honor. But you want to win one. You want to get there and win one. Obviously, LeBron wants to win a championship. I can't say that he wants to win more than the next man, than anybody on OKC. I can't say that. But obviously he wants to win and get another opportunity. I'm sure he will try to seize it a little bit better than he did the first two times."
A disappointment last year in the Heat's six-game loss to Dallas, James has said he's been in a better frame of mind this season and is looking forward making up for his previous failure.
"I didn't play well. I didn't make enough game-changing plays that I know I'm capable of making, and I felt like I let my teammates down," he said.
"I'm happy and I'm humbled that I can actually be back in this position less than 12 months later to do a better job of making more plays, more game-changing plays out on the floor on a bigger stage. So we'll see what happens."
Though their core of Durant, Westbrook, sixth man of the year James Harden and Serge Ibaka are all 23 or younger, the Thunder enter as the favorites in their first finals appearance since moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008.
With signs backing the Thunder hanging from buildings throughout the city, Oklahoma City has watched Durant grow up from the player who arrived here as the rookie of the year. He received some guidance along the way from James, who reached out to Durant when he was in high school and then invited him to his home in Akron, Ohio, to work out last summer.
"For me, I understood what the situation he was getting himself into being drafted as high he was, and the things that came with being drafted to a team that needed a marquee player or superstar," James said. "You know, from Day One I always lent my hand out to guide him if he needed it through anything, and that's on and off the floor, because to that point I seen everything, and I'm still learning. ...
"Our relationship is really good. Our relationship is going to continue to grow and I'm happy to be in this position where I can compete against him."
Only one can be considered the best player in the game, and it's probably the guy who walks out of this series as a champion.
"I think it's going to bring the best out of both of them, and it's going to be the best for the game," Wade said, "and it's going to be a great show."
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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