OAKLAND, Calif. — Richard Jefferson made two Finals with the Nets in 2002 and 2003 and now he is back for a third shot at a ring, this time with the Cavaliers. However, this experience, he said, is “unique.” Why?
“Because I’m old,” said Jefferson, who has found a role with the Cavs, one he has performed effectively averaging 5.3 points and shooting 52.8 percent in the playoffs off the bench.
“My job is to come in and play with energy,” said Jefferson, 35, in his 15th season. “People say, ‘Hey, Richard, you look like you could play a while longer.’ Well, it looks real good when you only have to do it for 10-12 minutes a night. When you have to do it for 25, you’re like, ‘Argh.’
“But my role is exactly what I expected it to be: to come in, contribute, back up LeBron [James], play some 3 when he goes to the 4, defend, have some versatility.”
When Jefferson went to his first Finals, as a rookie with the Nets against the Lakers in 2002, the Nets were given no chance. And they had none, swept away in four games by the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant crowd. But this time, Jefferson likes the Cavs chances.
“I don’t know how many games I have [left], so to actually be playing and contributing on a team that’s here, it means a lot,” Jefferson said. “It meant a lot back then because New Jersey had nothing, had never experienced anything like that. The fan base, none of the guys on the team had. We were a ragtag group of guys that was just thrown together that just played harder and more together than anybody else. So that meant a lot for us.
“But this is a group that we feel is destined to do something special,” said Jefferson who also played for the Warriors — one of seven stops he made in the NBA.
Jefferson, when he steps on the floor in the series, will tie the record for longest time between Finals appearances: 13 years. And he’ll be only the third guy to do so. The others were Elden Campbell (1991 Lakers and 2004 Pistons) and Sam Cassell (1995 Rockets and 2008 Celtics). Like Jefferson, Campbell (2004-05) and Cassell (1996-97 to 1998-99) both played for the Nets.
“I firmly believe that if we play our best basketball and they play their best basketball, we win,” Jefferson said. “Now the difference is they play at a very high level and very consistently, and throughout the season we’ve been up and down.
“During the playoffs, we’ve been primarily up, but it’s about us trying to do it consistently and if we do that, we firmly believe we can win. And they think the exact same thing. So I’m not saying anything that’s kind of outside the realm of understanding. I just believe we win if we play our best.”