With their 95-88 victory in Game 7, the Miami Heat are the 2012-2013 NBA Champions.
The game was tight from start to finish, but Miami had just a little more left in their gas tank from Game 6, and that proved to be the difference at the end of the game.
LeBron James found his shooting stroke, hitting 5 3-pointers and multiple midrange jump shots, including the game clincher from the right elbow with about 30 seconds remaining.
LeBron James finished the night with 37 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
Here are some of the big headlines from Game 7.
- LeBron was amazing from start to finish. The Spurs strategy of playing off him backfired as James consistently hit jumper after jumper. For the first time all series, his jump shot looked comfortable.
- Dwyane Wade also played very well, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He was able to hit his midrange jumpers as well, which really stretched San Antonio’s defense.
- Chris Bosh didn’t score a single point in Game 7. This may have well been his last game as a member of the Heat.
- Shane Battier played sparingly in the first 6 games of this series, but played a huge role in Game 7. Battier hit 6 3-pointers and scored 18 points.
- For the second straight game, Tony Parker struggled. Parker only scored 10 points on 3/12 shooting from the floor. Parker wasn’t the only Spur who struggled, as Danny Green was awful. Green shot 1/12 from the floor and only managed to score 5 points.
- On the bright side, Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard played very well for San Antonio. Duncan scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but missed an easy 2-footer with less than a minute to go that would have tied the game up. Leonard scored 19 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. The future looks very bright for the 21-year-old small forward.
At the end of the day, the best team in the league won the NBA title. It was a great series, and the stars came out to play when it mattered most.
LeBron’s performance was one for the ages, and he has finally ended the “LeBron isn’t clutch” conversation.
