The Miami Heat became world champions last night in one of the greatest Finals series ever, edging out a 95-88 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7. This was the 19th NBA Finals that had to be decided by a seventh game. Miami held the lead for the entirety of the fourth quarter, while the Spurs kept fighting for life. San Antonio knocked down several crucial shots to shorten the lead to 2 points but it wasn’t enough.
The third championship will come home because of another heroic performance by Lebron James, who put up 37 points and sunk the most crucial shot in the game giving Miami a 92-88 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining. Lebron received his 2nd Finals MVP for his performance, joining some elite company with only eleven other players winning the Finals MVP more than once. James received some help from his sidekick Dwyane Wade who recorded a double double with 23 points. With Chris Bosh not even recording a basket, role players like Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier had to come up big. Battier shined on the biggest stage by scoring all 18 of his points from beyond the arc. For the Spurs, Tim Duncan led the way as usual putting up 24 points and 12 rebounds while being very active on the defensive end. The young Kawhi Leonard flashed his potential again scoring 19 points while also being the primary defender on Lebron James.
The Spurs have been in these moments so many times before; it was their 5th finals appearance since 1999. However, they’ve never faced a squad as explosive and smart as this Miami Heat team. There were 9 potential hall of famers participating in this thrilling series, making it an unforgettable Finals. This was an all time great matchup between the aging but talented veterans versus the young guns trying to repeat.
PUR3463 Writing Assignments 