LeBron James wins his first championship ring as Heat win NBA Finals!!!
James had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, a triple-double in his final masterful playoff appearance.
Not the welcoming rally two summers ago, where he boasted of multiple titles, perhaps without realizing how hard it would be to win just one. Dreaming of this moment, with teammates surrounding him and the NBA championship trophy beside him. Ripped and ridiculed for the way he announced he was leaving Cleveland and taking his talents to South Beach, it's all worth it now for James. "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," James said. "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."
Coming up as a choker last year, the guy who came up small in the fourth quarter, mocked for "shrinking" in the moment while playing with what he called "hatred" in trying to prove his critics wrong. He came to Miami seeking an easier road to the finals but found it tougher than he expected, the Heat coming up empty last year and nearly getting knocked out in the Eastern Conference finals this time by Boston. Facing elimination there, James poured in 45 points on the road to force a Game 7 and the Heat won it at home.
"It was the hardest thing I've ever done as a basketball player," James said. "You just put a lot of hard work into it and you hope that one day it will pay off for you."
The disappointment of losing to Dallas in six games a year ago vanished in a blowout of the demoralized Thunder, who got 32 points and 11 rebounds from Durant. Bosh finished with 24 points and Wade scored 20. Surprisingly receiving mass help from Mike Miller, who made seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points
Miller, banged up from so many injuries that he limped from the bench to scorer's table when he checked in. He made his fourth 3-pointer of the half right before James' fast-break basket capped a 15-2 run that extended Miami's lead to 53-36 with 4:42 remaining in the first half.
The Thunder were making a remarkably early trip to the finals just
three years after starting 3-29, beating the Mavericks, Lakers and Spurs
along the way. With Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and James
Harden all 23 or younger, the Thunder have the pieces in place for a
lengthy stay atop the Western Conference. "It hurts, man," Durant said. "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."
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