Miami Heat wins NBA championship

By Ben Bolch

June 21, 2012 12 AM PT

MIAMI — LeBron James was in no hurry as he walked off the court in the final minutes, raising his right arm in triumph.

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were not far behind, the ballyhooed Miami Heat trio hugging teammates and coaches along the sideline.

Bosh, who had wept after last year’s NBA Finals, held Udonis Haslem in a firm embrace, swaying back and forth. James playfully nudged Coach Erik Spoelstra.

Five years of Finals anguish ended for James on Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena when Miami routed the Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-106, in Game 5 to win its first title since 2006.

The Heat won the series, four games to one, against a Thunder team that went from precocious to bumbling, hardly resembling the bunch that lost only three games combined in its first three playoff series.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook sat out the final 4 minutes 43 seconds, with Durant draping a towel around his head as if it might somehow block out the scene unfolding around him.

For James, it was a triumph that will presumably lessen some of the ache he has endured since Finals flops in 2007 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and last year with the Heat. His efforts against Oklahoma City helped him earn most valuable player of the Finals honors.

James continually attacked the basket from the opening tip and was excellent in every facet, collecting a triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds to lead six Heat players in double figures scoring. Bosh had 24 points and Wade 20.

Miami got it done with the Big Three and with the little ones, making 14 of 26 three-pointers. Reserve guard Mike Miller was a stunningly effective sharpshooter, making seven of eight shots from beyond the arc.

The veteran guard finished with 23 points, nearly tripling his combined eight points from four previous Finals games in which he was a nonfactor. He opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back three-pointers to extend Miami’s cushion to 27 points.

Game, season, series, Heat.

Fans began celebrating in earnest after the Heat put together a 36-point third quarter, taking a 95-71 lead.

Heat 95, Thunder 71 (end of third quarter)

The partying has started in South Beach.

Barring a total collapse, Miami will win its second NBA title and first with the ballyhooed trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh after putting together a 36-point third quarter.

The Heat is getting it done with the Big Three and with the little ones, making 12 of 21 three-pointers and putting together a 32-11 run after the Thunder had made it a five-point game.

Bosh has 22 points to lead six Heat players in double figures scoring.

Oklahoma City pulled to within 61-56 early in the quarter when Serge Ibaka picked up a loose ball and went in for a dunk, and the Thunder had the ball again after Kevin Durant blocked a shot by James.

But Durant made a behind-the-back move dribbling up the court and lost the ball.

Miami’s Mario Chalmers made a three-pointer from one corner of the court and then Shane Battier made a three-pointer from the other corner on the Heat’s next possession, extending its advantage to 67-56 and prompting a Thunder timeout.

There was a momentary dustup between Durant and Chalmers after they pushed one another along the sideline with 7:21 left in the quarter.

Oklahoma City’s Kendrick Perkins then picked up his fifth foul shortly thereafter when he got tangled up with Chris Bosh and came out of the game.

Things further deteriorated for the Thunder when Derek Fisher was called for a flagrant foul for thrusting his body into James’ as James drove toward the basket.

Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook had one shot blocked by James and another by Wade within a few possessions late in the quarter.

Heat 59, Thunder 49 (halftime)

AmericanAirlines Arena will never be confused with its NBA Finals counterpart, Chesapeake Energy Arena, in terms of deliverable decibels, but the place was rocking midway through the second quarter of Game 5.

Mike Miller -- no joke -- made his fourth three-pointer of the first half and then LeBron James went in for a layup off a turnover that gave the Miami Heat a 17-point lead in a potential closeout game.

Good times, indeed, for Heat fans.

Miller finished the half with 12 points, more than the eight the veteran guard had in the four previous Finals games combined. James has 15 points, continually attacking the basket and making six of nine shots.

Not everything went perfectly for the Heat.

Dwyane Wade picked up his third foul with 5:35 left before halftime when he dove for a loose ball and collided with James Harden. Wade sat out the rest of the half.

Meanwhile, shots continued to rattle in and out for the Thunder before a mini-run to close the half kept the Heat within striking distance.

Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant has 14 points and little offensive help from players not named Russell Westbrook or James Harden.

Westbrook had some flashy moves and some missteps too on his way to 13 first-half points, including a botched dunk and a three-pointer that lodged between the rim and the basket.

Harden had eight points largely on the strength of six free throws (he made one of three shots) and nearly added injury to insult. He took an elbow to the head from James and watched two shots that seemed like they were going in bounce out.

Harden is playing with a bruised left hand that he sustained in Game 4, but Oklahoma City Coach Scott Brooks said before the game that Harden should be fine.

He probably won’t feel that way if things don’t turn around in the second half.

Heat 31, Thunder 26 (end of first quarter)

It already feels like destiny that this is the night Miami wins its first NBA title since 2006.

When Mike Miller comes off the bench and hits a pair of three-pointers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals and then Norris Cole follows with one of his own, pretty much everything is going your way.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh? They were good too in the first quarter Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

James had a trio of highlight plays in the first 6 minutes 4 seconds, going in for a breakaway tomahawk dunk on Miami’s second possession. Then he had back-to-back plays in which he was fouled on layups, including one in which he twisted his body upon receiving the ball with his back to the basket.

James finished the quarter with seven points, making three of four shots.

The play of the quarter easily went to Wade, who corralled an alley-oop pass in mid-air from Mario Chalmers with one hand and deftly put it into the basket.

Wade remained in the game despite picking up two fouls in the first 6:38.

Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant had some special plays too, including a baseline drive for a ferocious dunk. He had nine points in the quarter and Russell Westbrook had eight, but the Thunder is going to need more production from the rest of its roster.

There was a festive atmosphere along Biscayne Boulevard outside the arena even hours before the game. Clubs dotting the street that had been mostly quiet earlier in the series blasted salsa music and scores of empty-handed fans pleaded with passersby for tickets.

Most of the notoriously late-arriving Heat fans were in there seats well before the game, creating a palpable buzz. Wade ran over to each side of the court before tip-off, raising his arms aloft to exhort the crowd.

Fans were already in a celebratory mood in the early going.

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