LeBron James will play in Thursday’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Duh.
Neither cramps nor anything short of an amputation would prevent James from playing in the game that could land him his first NBA championship, something he has coveted for nine years.
Muscle cramps in his legs would not all him to finish the Miami Heat’s 104-98 win in Game 4 Tuesday night, giving them a 3-1 series lead. But he practiced Wednesday afternoon and, predictably, cleared himself ready for the opportunity to close out the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I feel a lot better than I did last night, that’s clear,” James said. “I’m still a little sore because of the muscles being at an intense level — very tight. . . (But) I should be fine.”
James, who has had issues with cramps the last two years in the playoffs, said he received treatment after the game Tuesday and again Wednesday morning.
AmericanAirlines Arena was abnormally warm Tuesday night and Wednesday and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the whole team will hydrate more leading into Game 5 because of it.
“We’ll be more proactive now that we know what the environment is like,” Spoelstra said. “We’re from down here so hopefully it’ll be to our advantage.”
