Lakers owner Jerry Buss says he didn't approve the team's active summer with the Heat specifically in mind.
Buss said his team's offseason moves were motivated by the goal of constantly improving. However, he did mention Miami as a team that excites him.
"Suddenly there's this juggernaut out there that we have a chance to play against and that excites me, that really excites me because, quite honestly, I think we can beat them and I'm looking forward to playing them," Buss said.
"I don't think it's automatic that Miami will be our biggest opponent come the end, but on the other hand, I must admit they have the world's attention and that means we're going to be on center stage when we get a chance to play them."
Buss maintained that all of the team's personnel decisions this summer were independent of the Heat.
"Our intentions were to sign those players prior to Miami coalescing all of the talent that was left over," Buss said.
"I don't think we reacted to them. Once the season is over, we look backwards on the season and say, 'Were there any weaknesses? Could we do something to improve this team?' And we did that quite independently of Miami. ... I think we just prepared ourselves for the general war, not specifically for anyone."
