OAKLAND, Calif. — The last time LeBron James lost in the NBA Finals, he sat in front of his locker, a towel over his head and in full uniform, for 45 minutes. It came before he had brought a championship to Cleveland, before Kevin Durant had moved to Golden State, before the NBA had changed forever.
Monday night, James dressed quickly in a red-and-black striped T-shirt, black sunglasses, black leather jacket and light jeans with words printed on them. (Examples: Zoom and So Very Nice.) He grabbed a small Aquafina bottle from a cooler and chatted with his adviser, Adam Mendelsohn.