LeBron James compares Golden State Warriors to the Patriots

USA TODAY | Kyle Terada

Sports are a crazy thing. They bring us joy. They bring us defeat. They teach us so many things in life, and LeBron James touched on one of the most important: respect.

While the Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in a three-game deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, James held his competitors to high reverence in his post-game press conference Wednesday night.

“The margin of error is very low,” James said. “It’s almost like playing the Patriots.”

Comparing the Warriors to the New England Patriots is a sign of respect and to be able to admit that is a sign of modesty.

“You can’t have mistakes, they’re not going to beat themselves,” James continued. “When you’re able to force a miscue, you have to capitalize. You have to be so attuned and razor-sharp and focused every single possession. You can’t have miscommunication, you can’t have flaws, you can’t have ‘My faults’ or ‘My bads’ or things like that because they’re going to make you pay.”

Kevin Durant scored a game-high 43 points to help the Warriors take a 3-0 advantage over the Cavaliers. Cleveland had a series-high 14 turnovers in which the Warriors converted for 19 fast-break points.

The Warriors could draw more Patriots comparisons if they win the championship this season, as it would be their third in four years, much like New England did so in 2001, 2003 and 2004.

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