Sports At Phila. Front Page News; LeBron James says he feels great about situation with Cavaliers despite conference finals loss

Sports At Phila. Front Page News; LeBron James says he feels great about situation with Cavaliers despite conference finals loss

The Plain Dealer. A day after the Cavaliers'
season ended in Orlando, LeBron James
said he was very pleased by his team's
performance. "I'm great. I feel great about
this situation that's going on," he said.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --- LeBron James did not speak to anyone Saturday night after the Cavs were eliminated by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. But he did talk Sunday afternoon as the team met at the Cleveland Clinic Courts for exit interviews with management and to say their goodbyes for the summer.

Despite his sour mood following the 103-90 loss, when he didn't stay on the floor to congratulate the Magic after the final horn, James said he felt the Cavs took significant strides this season and he's pleased with the team's progress. The Cavs won their first division title in 33 years and set a team record with 66 regular season wins.

"I'm great. I feel great about this situation that's going on," James said.

"You want to continue to get better, that's all you can ask. We got better this season and I feel this team will be better next season. You don't want to take a step backward. I thought we went forward from the Boston series to this year and hopefully we can go forward one more time next year."

James was asked whether he'd sign a contract extension this summer, which the Cavs can offer on July 18.

"I don't know," James said. "I haven't thought about it just yet. I'm just going to take time off from basketball and not think about contracts or the game period and relax with my family. We'll figure out once it comes from them."

The extension is one of three options for James with his current contract, which famously expires after next season. He can extend up to four years this summer, he can play out his current deal or he can exercise a player option for the 2010-11 season.