LeBron James confirmed Wednesday that he dislocated a finger in his non-shooting hand on Monday night, but he does not plan to sit out any of the Miami Heat's upcoming games to allow the finger to fully heal. This is partly because he was able to pop the finger back into place shortly after he sustained the injury.
"I popped it back in when I did it," he said Wednesday after the Heat's practice. "It's been better, though. I'll be ready." Miami hosts the defending champion Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
"The only recovery for it, what the docs told me, is rest, and I think we all know I have none of that," he added. James said X-rays of the finger revealed no break, freeing him up to play on Thursday.
Coach Erik Spoelstra insists all is well with his star forward, who is not even using a splint on his finger. "He practiced today. He's ready to go," Spoelstra said. "And he had a very good practice, a physical practice. If he can get through a practice like this, he can get through any game."
James is using a small elastic sleeve on his finger, which he admits does limit him slightly. "It impacts in dribbling and rebounding and stuff like that where you've got to squeeze the ball or dribble the ball," he said.
This is not the only injury James has been dealing with. He has been experiencing elbow soreness since colliding with Grant Hill of the Suns in a game last week.
Still, he has no intention of taking time off. "If I'm able to run, if I'm able to jump and affect the other team and help our team win the ballgame, injury, no injury, I like to be out on the court," he said.
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"Sometimes I know it's best for the team for me to sit. Sometimes I know, for me personally, I would like to play. I don't know. I have a hard time with that."
