Lebron James has finally won the big one.
James led the way with a triple-double of 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists as the Heat destroyed the Oklahoma City Thunder in game 5 121-106.
With this victory, the Miami Heat are now officially your 2012 NBA Champions.
THE 3 IS THE KEY
To say the Miami Heat were on fire (no pun intended) from three-point range in game 5 may be the understatement of the century.
The Heat hit 14 of their 26 three-point attempts (ties an NBA record), including an astonishing 7 for 8 from seldom used bench player Mike Miller. Miller finished the game with 23 points and 5 rebounds in just 23 minutes of action and played a key role in the Heat’s game 5 victory last night.
Shane Battier continued his hot streak of three-point shooting again last night, hitting 3 long bombs on route to 11 points and 4 rebounds. In this series, Battier hit a staggering 15 three-point shots.
THE BIG THREE CLOSE IT OUT
When Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh joined forces 2 years ago in South Beach, anything but a championship was considered a failure. After last years heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Mavericks, these 3 all-stars needed to regroup, refocus and re-strategize their championship attack.
With last nights game 5 being a closeout game for the NBA Championship, the “3 Kings” of Miami certainly came to play.
On top of James incredible triple-double, Dwayne Wade would contribute 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals of his own. Chris Bosh also chipped in with 24 points and 9 rebounds on 9 for 14 shooting.
It was greatness personified. James finally gets his redemption and achieves championship glory after 2 failed attempts. Chris Bosh adds the word “champion” to his resume after his long stint north of the border. Dwayne Wade enters the championship circle for the 2nd time in his career after winning one with Shaquille O’Neal and the Heat back in 2006.
The scary thing is……this may only be the beginning.
THUNDER AREN’T READY….
The Oklahoma City Thunder will eventually have their moment in the limelight. They just aren’t at that point in their development yet.
The Miami Heat needed their loss in last years finals to motivate and humble them. This will be a similar case for the Thunder. This is a learning experience that will surely benefit them down the road when they compete for the NBA Championship yet again.
It’s just a shame that they had to exit these playoffs in such a negative way. After three quarters of play, the Thunder were down 95-71. They finished the game shooting just 41% from the field. The final score should (in reality) have been much worse if not for the garbage minutes played at the end of the fourth quarter.
Kevin Durant put up a tremendous effort in game 5 as the NBA’s leading scorer finished with a double-double of 32 points and 11 rebounds on 13 for 24 shooting. He did however turn the ball over 7 times.
Russell Westbrook couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat on this night, finishing with 19 points on just 4 for 20 shooting. James Harden contributed with 19 points and 5 assists of his own, but most of those came when the outcome was very much decided.
If this core can stay in tact for the foreseeable future, this might not be the only time we see the Oklahoma City Thunder battle the Miami Heat for the NBA Championship.
QUOTES OF THE GAME
”I’m happy now that eight years later, nine years later since I’ve been drafted, that I can finally say that I’m a champion, and I did it the right way. ‘I didn’t shortcut anything. You know, I put a lot of hard work and dedication in it, and hard work pays off. It’s a great moment for myself.” – Miami Heat forward Lebron James
”It hurts, man, We’re all brothers on this team and it just hurts to go out like this. We made it to the finals, which was cool for us, but we didn’t want to just make it there. Unfortunately we lost, so it’s tough.” – OKC Thunder forward Kevin Durant
TWEETS OF THE GAME
LeBron James was asked if he's the best player in the NBA: "All I know is I'm a champion. That's all that matters."
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 22, 2012
Heat just won easily with LeBron James making zero shots outside paint. Zero! No surprise here.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 22, 2012
FINAL MOMENTS
Christopher Walder is a sports blogger and lead editor for Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter @WalderSports