LOS ANGELES — As the NBA Finals between the Lakers and Celtics take a two-day pause following last night’s opener, LeBron James is filling the vacuum tonight with his already-taped hour-long sitdown with Larry King and an old interview “Nightline” replayed last night.
Some critics feel King James purposely has tried to upstage the Finals with the King interview — his first comments since being knocked out of the playoffs by the Celtics in the second round a few weeks ago.
The hype for the interview began Tuesday, coinciding with the start of the buildup to the Finals. Trickles of excerpts were first released Tuesday and the entire transcript provided Wednesday.
Keith Estabrook, James’ Manhattan-based publicist, told The Post the arrangement was just good fortune for King Larry, and a “coincidence” for King James.
“It’s absolutely not true. It was nothing more than a coincidence,” Estabrook said yesterday. “His [25th] anniversary week just happened to fall during the Finals.”
Commissioner David Stern said last night he has no problem with James’ interview being aired during the Finals.
“I don’t have a problem,” Stern said. “It demonstrates — we’re really up there now with Bill Gates, President Obama, Lady Gaga [other King guests this week]. How can you beat that trifecta, to add LeBron James to that.”
The “Nightline” interview with Chris Cuomo, son of former governor Mario Cuomo, was taped April 5 and first aired before Mother’s Day.
It was one of the few times James addressed possibly playing for the Knicks.
“New York City is greatness . . . this is greatness,” James said after Cuomo gave him a Knicks hat. “I think we all know.
“Unbelievable franchise . . . unbelievable franchise,” he added. “Great history, and not only from the basketball perspective, but just from Madison Square Garden itself. All of the artists that have gone through there, everything.”
Stern also said he was OK with the free agents talking amongst themselves, but did not think a “summit” was taking place.
“Our players talk to each other all the time,” Stern said. “I’ve been assured at the highest level there is no summit.”
* President Barack Obama told CNN yesterday that it would be a terrific story if the basketball superstar stayed with the Cleveland Cavaliers instead of switching teams as a free agent.
Said Obama: “That’s a town that has had some tough times.” The president said it would be a wonderful statement to Cleveland if James said: “I’m going to make a commitment to this city.”
He did not gently nudge James toward the Bulls, Obama’s hometown team, as the president did in an interview last month.
Additional reporting by Tim Bontemps; with AP