LeBron: East teams going for it since 'they ain't gotta go through me'
Warning: Story contains coarse language
The contenders in the East made significant deadline acquisitions to bolster their chances at securing the conference crown, and The King took notice.
"Those top teams in the East, yeah, they're going for it," LeBron James said, according to The Athletic's Joe Vardon. "Toronto is going for it, Milwaukee's going for it, Philly. Boston (Celtics) believes they can do it, too. They know they ain't gotta go through Cleveland anymore.
"Everybody in the East thinks they can get to the Finals because they ain't gotta go through me."
James dominated the East before his move to the Los Angeles Lakers, reaching the NBA Finals in eight consecutive seasons with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.
To help tip the scale in their favor, the Toronto Raptors landed Marc Gasol, the Milwaukee Bucks picked up sharpshooter Nikola Mirotic, and the Philadelphia 76ers added Tobias Harris.
"Shit, I was excited seeing all the moves they made in the East today," James said. "Those matchups in the second round, in the Eastern Conference finals, that shit is gonna be crazy. It’s gonna be fun to watch."
The Lakers (28-27) recently experienced a rough patch while dropping 13 of 20 before Thursday's buzzer-beating 129-128 victory over the Celtics.
James, 34, is averaging 27 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in 37 appearances.