National Basketball Association
Miami 121, Oklahoma City 106
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, June 21, 2012
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Officials:
#43 Dan Crawford, #13 Monty McCutchen, #9 Derrick Stafford
Attendance:
20003
By SportsDirect Inc.
HEAT 121, THUNDER 106: LeBron James capped a sensational series with 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, leading Miami to its second NBA championship with a one-sided win over visiting Oklahoma City.
James finally added an elusive NBA title to his already impressive resume, guiding the Heat to a five-game triumph over the Western Conference champions. Following up on his regular-season Most Valuable Player nod, James took home the Finals MVP award after averaging 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in the series.
James had plenty of help Thursday night - particularly from Mike Miller, who put together one of the most unexpected performances in a Finals game. Miller finished with 23 points while connecting on seven of eight 3-point attempts as the Heat made 14 3s on the night, tying the record for most in a Finals game.
Up 59-49 after a dominant first half, the Heat kept up their hot 3-point shooting in the third quarter to fend off repeated Thunder challenges. Shane Battier's second long-distance shot of the quarter - and Miami's 10th of the game - restored the double-digit edge just before the midway point of the frame, and James drew a flagrant foul on Derek Fisher later in the quarter, making both free throws to extend the lead to 79-63.
James followed that up with a tough driving layup, and Chris Bosh and Miller knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to cap a 19-1 stretch that sent Miami into the fourth quarter with a 95-70 lead.
Miller added consecutive 3s to open the fourth quarter, and the Thunder wouldn't challenge the rest of the way as they fell short in their first Finals appearance since relocating from Seattle.
James and Dwyane Wade were taken out of the game with three minutes remaining, sharing a warm embrace on the sidelines as the crowd chanted "M-V-P!".
Bosh scored 24 points while Wade added 20 in the victory.
Three-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant led the way with 32 points in defeat while Russell Westbrook added 19, but shot just 4 of 20 from the field. James Harden chipped in 19 in a reserve role.
Despite seeing Wade pick up his second foul just before the midway point of the opening quarter, the Heat seized the upper hand in the early going. James scored five straight points to open up a six-point Miami lead, and Miller knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers as the advantage grew to nine.
Durant led the Thunder back, converting a three-point play and ending the quarter with a thunderous dunk as Oklahoma City trailed 31-26 after one.
The Heat took charge in the second quarter, hitting four straight field goals to stretch the lead to 10. A James basket capped a 15-2 run that made it 53-36 before the Thunder responded, as Durant set up Serge Ibaka beneath the basket before hitting a banked jumper to make it a 10-point deficit entering the break.
GAME NOTEBOOK:
James is the first player to take home regular season and Finals MVP honors in the same season since San Antonio's Tim Duncan achieved the double in 2003. ... Westbrook and Durant shot a combined 8 for 23 in the first half. ... Miller came into the night having misfired on all three of his 3-point attempts in the Finals. ... Heat F Juwan Howard, playing in his 18th NBA season, won his first title. Miller (12th season) and Shane Battier (11th) were among the other first-time champions. ... Miami shares the single-game 3-point record with the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic, who both accomplished the feat in the 1995 NBA Finals.
Top Game Performances
| Oklahoma City |
|
Miami |
|
Kevin Durant 32 |
Scoring |
LeBron James 26 |
|
Russell Westbrook 6 |
Assists |
LeBron James 13 |
|
Kevin Durant 11 |
Rebounds |
LeBron James 11 |
|
Russell Westbrook 11 |
Free Throws Made |
LeBron James 8 |
|
Kevin Durant 2 |
Steals |
Mario Chalmers 2 |
|
Serge Ibaka 2 |
Blocks |
Dwyane Wade 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Oklahoma City
|
106 |
41.4 |
11-28 |
23-26 |
19 |
38 |
3 |
7 |
13 |
| Miami
|
121 |
51.9 |
14-26 |
27-33 |
25 |
41 |
7 |
8 |
14 |
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