LeBron James is happy with the way the Heat played prior to the All-Star break, but he warned that the team can't afford to take a step backward over the final third of the season.

"For the last third of the season, we have to understand that we cannot afford to take a step backward and we have to keep moving forward,” James said after the West defeated the East in Sunday night's All-Star Game.

"Every game, every practice, every film session, we have to figure out a way to get better. We have to continue to get better because there are teams out there that’s better than us right now," he added. "We are moving at a cheetah’s pace, we are trying to move as fast as possible to get to where we want to get to compete at the highest level."

Miami trails Boston by one game for first place in the Eastern Conference.