Last time LeBron James played in the NBA Finals his performance was so poor it led to intense media speculation about his frame of mind - and his ability to withstand late-game pressure. Now, less than twelve-months removed from arguably the worst playoff series of his life, LeBron promises that the match-up with Oklahoma City will yield different results to last year. James says from an individual standpoint he guarantees a better showing in 2012.

"At the end of the day in this series I'm going to play my game and try to do whatever it takes on both ends and make plays," James said at Chesapeake Energy Arena. "Whatever the results, I'm going to be satisfied with that. I'm going to be happy with it because I know I'm going to give it my all."

"I'm just at ease now," James said. "I'm happy and I'm humbled that I can actually be back in this position less than 12 months later and to do a better job of making more plays on a bigger stage. So we'll see what happens."

James averaged a career playoff low of 17.6 points against Dallas in last year's championship round but so far this post-season he has shown a willingness to demand the ball and be more aggressive than last year's Finals. He gets his opportunity at redemption when Game 1 tips off in Oklahoma later today.