Shortly after LeBron James scored 10 straight points in the fourth quarter to lead the Miami Heat past the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, he explained why he chose to take his talents to South Beach.
He apologized for leaving Cleveland and talked about how the Celtics played a role in his decision.
"I knew deep down in my heart, as much as I loved my teammates back in Cleveland and as much as I loved home, I knew it couldn't do it by myself against that team," James said. "The way it panned out with all the friends and family and the fans back home, I apologize for the way it happened. I knew this opportunity was once in a lifetime."
The two-time MVP also said that in order for him to move on with his career, he knew that he had to go through the Celtics.
Boston eliminated the Cavaliers in the second round of the 2008 and 2010 playoffs.
The Celtics also beat LeBron and his new team three times in the regular season, causing Paul Pierce to mock James with a postgame tweet in November that said, "It's been a pleasure to bring my talents to south beach now on to Memphis."
The Heat will play the winner of the Bulls-Hawks series in the Eastern Conference Finals.