LeBron: Jordan chase about motivation, not greatness

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James celebrates after sinking a three point shot during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics, on Thursday, May 25, 2017, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

BOSTON — LeBron James says his chase of Michael Jordan’s accomplishments is simply personal motivation. It’s not about wanting to establish himself as the NBA’s greatest player.

James spoke Thursday during the morning shootaround before the Cavaliers play the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

James will be making a seventh consecutive trip to the NBA Finals after Cleveland dumped Boston, 135-102.

He said his goal is not about passing Jordan in titles, points or MVP awards. James is 28 points shy of overtaking Jordan as the postseason’s leading scorer. With 40 more points, James could also become the first player in NBA history to score 6,000 points in the playoffs.

But the Cavaliers superstar says his pursuit is about leaving a legacy to motivate the next generation of players.

“It’s just my personal goal to keep me motivated, that’s all,” James said. “You guys are gonna have the conversations about who’s the greatest of all time and things of that nature, it doesn’t matter to me.”

He also said he believes that the greatness conversation is discussed more often in the NBA than in other sports.

“It’s never talked about (in the) NFL, who’s the greatest quarterback. It’s just like (Dan) Marino, (John) Elway, (Peyton) Manning, (Tom) Brady – all great quarterbacks. It should be the same for us,” James said. “We go out and just try to be as great as we can be every night.

“The comparison of always trying to compare people, either living or still playing or not playing – I think it’s great for barbershops.”