Question: who has lebron james played in the nba finals

title: LeBron James
text: At the beginning of James ' career , he was considered a poor defensive player , but he improved steadily through the years . Near the end of his first tenure in Cleveland , he became proficient at the chase - down block ; coming in from behind the opposition in transition to block their shot . In Miami , he developed into a more versatile defender , and the Heat relied on him to guard all five positions . Paired with teammates Shane Battier and Dwyane Wade , Miami used James in an ultra-aggressive defensive scheme , with James cheating off the ball to help out inside or get into rebounding position . Beginning in 2014 , some analysts noted a regression in his defensive impact , stemming from a lack of effort and expected age - related declines . James himself admitted to taking plays off at times , referring to this approach as `` chill mode '' . Writing for ESPN in 2016 , Nate Duncan observed that while James tended to take off more plays than in his younger days , he was able to raise his level in that year 's Finals and temporarily recapture his Miami form .