LeBron James is slightly more popular than taxes at the moment, so following his exit interview with the HEAT on Tuesday, he decided to take a more humble approach. As most know by now, James delivered a message to his critics after Sunday’s season-ending loss to the Mavericks, saying they’ll “have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today.”

Whatever his intention, the quote seemed to imply that his critics’ lives were, at best, undesirable, and at worst, not worth living. Given the opportunity to address that quote on Tuesday, James sounded much more sensitive.

“Basically I was saying at the end of the day this season is over and, with all hatred, everyone else has to move on with their lives, good or bad,” he said, as quoted by ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst.  “I do too.

“It wasn’t saying I’m superior or better than anyone else, any man or woman on this planet, I’m not. I would never every (sic) look at myself bigger than anyone who watched our game. It may have come off wrong but that wasn’t my intent.”

James also stepped up to the plate to take some blame for the HEAT’s failure to win a title.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself not to let my teammates down, maybe to a fault at times,” he said. “I didn’t play up to my own standards. Did that cost us the Finals? I don’t know. I’m not satisfied with my performance.”

And James shouldn’t be satisfied. He averaged 17.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 6.8 APG during the series, but his most condemning statistic is the number of free throws he attempted:  20.

If James played his brand of basketball, which is built on power and speed, he would have been attacking the hole more frequently and getting fouled along the way? Having a bad series is one thing, but depriving your teammates of the best part of your game is inexcusable. If James isn’t driving the lane, he’s simply leaving points on the table every single night.

Boy this NBA is Really Popular, Huh?

The ratings are out for Game 6 of the NBA Finals, and it appears ABC has a bit of a gold mine on its hands. The Nielsen Co. is saying that nearly 24 million watched the Mavericks beat the HEAT on Sunday, which means an average of 17.3 million people viewed each game of the Finals.

That’s not quite as many viewers as the Celtics and Lakers garnered last season, but ABC still had its most-watched summer week in nearly 10 years, according to the Associated Press.

The top four programs for last week in terms of total viewership were all connected to the NBA Finals.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Could Peja Stick in Big D?

The Mavericks didn’t make a big mid-season trade this year, and, according to coach Rick Carlisle, that may have been a contributing factor to their championship run. As he sees it, signing Peja Stojakovic back in January gave Dallas enough of a boost to forgo a costly trade.

“I know that they beat the bushes and tried to find every opportunity that may have been available,” Carlisle told reporters on Tuesday. “The fact that there wasn’t anything and the team could maintain flexibility going forward and acquire a guy like Peja was key.

“Peja Stojakovic saved our season because we needed another player,” Carlisle continued. “We were not going to be a championship-caliber team if we had not had, you know, a guy with his kind of skill, his kind of experience, step into our situation and be able to perform the way he did.”

After being released by the Raptors, Stojakovic averaged 8.6 PPG while hitting 42.9% of his 3-point attempts in 20.2 minutes per game. The 34-year-old forward struggled somewhat in the playoffs, but finished with a 7.1 PPG average in the postseason.

“And let’s not forget, he started a lot of games for us and when we made the change to bring him off the bench and start Marion, he embraced that challenge,” Carlisle said.

Always humble, Stojakovic praised his new teammates for his success and sounded as though he’d like to re-sign with the Mavericks for next season.

“Guys were great for me,” Stojakovic said. “They welcomed me from the very beginning. They made me feel comfortable. When you have that kind of chemistry and you compete for something special, I think it’s easy.

“I was happy,” he continued. “That was the main thing for me. Not knowing what was going to happen to me this year and coming to a situation and being filled with joy at being able to compete… this group makes you feel comfortable and that was special for me.”

Stojakovic also professed his gratitude for getting the chance to play with Dirk Nowitzki (“That guy is unbelievable”) after being forced to face him for so many years.

“Playing against that guy once or twice or three times a year, it’s a different story,” Stojakovic said. “You know he’s a great player but until I got here I just really saw that nothing really happened in his career by mistake. Definitely he posses some talent, but the work he puts in on a daily basis, his dedication to this organization, the way he competes, the way he leads this team, it’s unbelievable. I’m really impressed.

“For me it was just being a part of this organization and being able to win a championship,” he continued. “It’s definitely a great thing. But Dirk is the reason why we won it. He’s led this team to this point and he’s going to keep leading this team. He’s probably going to go as one of the greatest European players to have ever played.”

As for his own retirement, Stojakovic admits he isn’t the same player he was during his All-Star years, but he knows he can still hit a jump shot and isn’t opposed to reduced role.

“I haven’t thought about it yet,” he said. “I still enjoy the game. Even if I’m not the same player and I have to understand who I am at this point in my career, but I still enjoy being out there. I still enjoy competing and being a part of something special. It was unbelievable for me this year. After a few years of not being in the playoff picture, not competing in the playoffs, this is unbelievable.

“There are some days in the season when I’m hurt, banged up, when it takes time for me to loosen up and all that stuff, but… I still enjoy doing that,” Stojakovic continued. “I still believe that I can have a role in this league. It was a perfect example. I think the coaches here, they used me very well.”

And if Carlisle’s reaction to Stojakovic’s contribution holds any weight, the veteran could be back with the Mavericks for another run next season.

“We’re talking about a guy that’s a multiple All-Star, one of the greatest shooters in the history of the game,” Carlisle said. “In fact, before we went out on one of our last trips, I sat there and watched him make 95 out of 100 threes. I mean that’s ridiculous. That’s ridiculous. You just don’t do that. And so, having a guy that’s that kind of threat, was really big for us.”

Reporting was provided by HOOPSWORLD’s Bill Ingram.

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