OAKLAND, Calif. — As the final seconds began to tick off the clock in Game 5 of the N.B.A. finals on Monday night, LeBron James stood under the basket and looked up, oblivious to the action going on behind him.
Then, as the finality began to sink in that there would be a new champion, he pivoted and walked purposefully toward the other end of the court, making a beeline for Kevin Durant, a rare equal whom he had spent much of these finals battling.
In that moment when they embraced, James might have seen something of himself in Durant, another transcendent talent who had to endure years of frustration, and a change of scenery, before earning the validation that comes with a title.