Former Miami Hurricanes Star James Jones in 7th Straight NBA Finals
![Jun 11, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward James Jones (1) and Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) during the second quarter of game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Jun 11, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward James Jones (1) and Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) during the second quarter of game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/5059d49f6e14d528f6d6ddb54178d20731670a437ddf40f1d6a6d159e2c22e5c.jpg)
No one knows James better than Jones does. He discussed their journey to seven straight NBA Finals in a blog post for Cavs.Com posted Tuesday. Jones and James’ leadership is important when you consider prior to 2015 only one other player on this year’s roster had been to the NBA Final. Richard Jefferson went to the Finals with the Nets in 2002 and 2003.
He mentions not making it to the NBA Finals until his seventh season in the league with the Heat until 2011. He has been to the Eastern Conference Finals with Indiana as a rookie in 2004 and to the Western Conference Finals with Phoenix in 2006. That Suns team lost to Dallas whom the Heat defeated for the Championship.
Jones has a lot of confidence in his team and teammates. He spoke about why veterans stay in the league for so long:
"“To stick around the league as long as they (Cavs reserves Kyle Korver and Deron Williams) have – as long as we have – you do it for one reason: to win. Because losing, when you’re older, just means that your team is ready to rebuild. So, you always want to be moving forward.”"