LeBron James Says Thinking About Playing Warriors in Final Is 'Too Stressful'

After securing a third straight appearance in the NBA Finals on Thursday, Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star LeBron James didn't want to start thinking about another matchup with the Golden State Warriors yet. 

Following the Cavs' 135-102 win in Game 5 over the Boston Celtics, James admitted the stress of playing the Warriors was too much for him to think about in the moment, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst:

"I'm going to be honest, I'm not in the right mind to even talk about Golden State. It's too stressful, and I'm not stressed right now. I'm very happy about our accomplishment. Golden State, they've been the best team in our league for the last three years, and then they added an MVP (Kevin Durant). That's all I can give you right now, because I'm happy and I don't want to be stressed."

The Cavaliers and Warriors have played two memorable NBA Finals in the past two seasons. James was essentially a one-man gang in 2015 when Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving went down with injuries, but the Warriors prevailed in six games. 

Last year featured Cleveland's historic comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to capture the franchise's first championship. James had a triple-double in Game 7 with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Irving hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 53 seconds remaining. 

Both teams have been on a collision course for a third showdown since that day last June. The Warriors led the NBA with 67 wins during the regular season and are 12-0 in the playoffs.

The Cavs have won 12 of 13 playoff games and are looking to become the first team since the 2012-13 Miami Heat to repeat as champions.