LeBron James on Playoff Mentality: 'Go Out and Try to Dominate'

LeBron James is sticking with a familiar mission statement in advance of the Cleveland Cavaliers' first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. 

"My responsibility has been the same for quite a while now: Go out and try to dominate," he told reporters Saturday, according to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. 

James assumed a massive workload during the regular season, but extra miles didn't slow him. 

If anything, James—who appeared in all 82 games for the first time in his career and led the league with 36.9 minutes per game—looked as sharp as ever. 

In his 15th season, the four-time MVP averaged 27.5 points—his highest mark since 2009-10—and career highs of 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the field. 

"Mentally and physically, I'm where I should be right now," James added, per McMenamin. "I'm not comparing it to last year. I'm not comparing it to previous years. I don't compare it to next year. Right now, how I feel, I feel where I need to be and I'm healthy going into the postseason—as healthy as you can be going into the postseason. So we'll see what happens."

In four regular-season games against the Pacers, James averaged 28.8 points, 10.3 assists and 8.5 rebounds on 55.8 percent shooting. 

However, Indiana won three of those four meetings—including both tilts at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. 

Game 1 will tip off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.