Courtesy of sportslogos.net
Lebron James and the rest of the Miami Heat were crowned NBA champs last night after a convincing 121-106 Game Five victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Miami won the series 4-1 and James had a triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. He won the finals M.V.P. award.
The big story for the Heat – other than James finally winning a ring- were the contributions they got from their non Big Three players, specifically Mike Miller who came off the bench, scored 23 points and was 4-4 from behind the three point arc at one point. Miller was hobbling down the court most of the time he was in the game but his back didn’t alter his shooting in anyway. He ended up finishing 7-8 for the game from three. Shane Battier added 11 points and was 4-8 from behind the arc. In fact, Miami shot 53% from three (14-28) for the game.
Chris Bosh finished with 24 points, was 9-14 from the field and finished at +29 for the game. Having him back and healthy was a big key to Miami’s series win.
Dwyane Wade, who was the Finals MVP in 2006, added 20 points and eight rebounds for the Heat.
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, the night ended in disappointment but the team and their fans still have a lot to be proud of. They’ve come a long way in the years since they moved from Seattle.
Kevin Durant led all scorers with 32 points and finished with 11 rebounds in a losing effort. His teammates Russell Westbrook and James Harden both added 19 points each.
The problem for the Thunder was they just couldn’t stop the Heat from scoring long enough to get to within striking distance. The closest they got was in the third quarter when they closed to within five points. Before they could get something going, Miami went on a streak which included a barrage from three point territory and the Thunder, once again, found themselves down by double digits.
During Games 2, 3, and 4 of this series the Thunder would be down by double digits, put a scare into Miami, get close near the end but not be able to pull ahead. Last night, Miami wasn’t having that. They were on a mission and it showed in their play in the fourth quarter.
One thing NBA fans can take away from this series is that we may have a new rivalry to watch. Both teams will look to be at the top of their respective conferences again next season and with the Thunder’s core being so young, I can see this matchup happening again a few more times in the near future.
Now that the Miami Heat have been crowned 2011-2012 NBA Champions, the focus can shift to the 2012-2013 season.
The NBA Finals is not only a battle of the two best teams in the league, but also one between the top two players, at least according to this year’s MVP voting.