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LeBron James Says Spinning Ball in Hands in Front of Serge Ibaka Was 'Bait'

LeBron James told reporters on Friday that he didn't mean any disrespect when he was spinning the ball in his hands prior to a three-point attempt in the second quarter of Game 2 against the Toronto Raptors.

Rather, James said it was a tactic to see if his defender Serge Ibaka would play him more aggressively at the three-point line.

"It's bait," James told ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. "If [Ibaka] would have reached in, I would have put it on the floor.

"It was a mental thing. Everything I do is mental.