2012 NBA Finals

2012 NBA Finals
TeamCoachWins
Miami Heat Erik Spoelstra 4
Oklahoma City Thunder Scott Brooks 1
Dates June 12–21
MVP LeBron James
(Miami Heat)
Television ABC (U.S.)
TSN (Canada)
Announcers Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy
Radio network ESPN Radio
Announcers Jim Durham, Jack Ramsay and Hubie Brown
Referees
Game 1: Monty McCutchen, Ed Malloy, Derrick Stafford
Game 2: Dan Crawford, Tony Brothers, Tom Washington
Game 3: Joe Crawford, James Capers, Ken Mauer
Game 4: Scott Foster, Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy
Game 5: Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford
Eastern Finals Heat defeated Celtics, 4–3
Western Finals Thunder defeated Spurs, 4–2

The 2012 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2011–12 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeated the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 to win their second NBA title. Heat forward LeBron James was named the Finals MVP.

This marked the fourth time in franchise history that the Oklahoma City Thunder appeared in the NBA Finals, and the first time since the Seattle SuperSonics relocated from Seattle, Washington to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 2008. The franchise had previously appeared as the SuperSonics in 1996. It also marked the Miami Heat's third appearance in the NBA Finals. The Heat previously appeared in 2006 and 2011, both times against the Dallas Mavericks.

It was the first NBA Finals in 13 seasons that was not held in either the states of California or Texas; the 3 teams that won the previous 12 Western Conference titles the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated by this season's Western Conference champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in that order.

The series began on June 12, five days later than its originally planned June 7 start. This delay was due to the lockout that pushed the start of the season to late December and shortened the regular season to 66 games.[1] The series then ended on June 21. Under the 2–3–2 rotation, the Thunder had home-court advantage, since they had a better regular season record than the Heat, and thus hosted the first two games. The Heat also became the first team since the 2008–09 Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA title after losing the previous year, and the first Eastern Conference team to do so since the 1988–89 Detroit Pistons.

Background

Miami Heat

This was the second consecutive appearance for the Heat, after losing to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. This was also their second Finals appearance in the "Big Three" era.[2] Their other Finals appearance was in 2006 when they defeated the Mavericks to win their first NBA title.[3]

In the regular season, the Heat finished with 46 victories, then defeated the New York Knicks (4–1), Indiana Pacers (4–2) and Boston Celtics (4–3) on their way to the Finals. Along the way, they managed to overcome series deficits that nearly sent them home but they had strings of victories to let them survive. The first was against the Pacers in the Conference Semifinals when they trailed in the series, 1–2. The Heat responded by taking three straight victories to defeat the Pacers. The second was against the Celtics in the Conference Finals when they trailed, 2–3, in the series. They responded by winning a decisive game 6 in Boston, taking the last two games of the series to advance to the Finals.[4]

The Heat retained much of the same cast from the previous year, save for Shane Battier, rookies Terrel Harris and Norris Cole,[5] Eddy Curry,[6][7] and Ronny Turiaf, who was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers team that lost in the Finals to the Boston Celtics in 2008.[8]

Oklahoma City Thunder

This was the Thunder's first NBA Finals appearance since the team relocated from Seattle in 2008. Including their seasons as the Seattle SuperSonics, this was also the club's fourth Finals appearance, and first since 1996, when they lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. The team was seeking their first NBA championship since 1979.[9]

The Thunder finished with 47 wins, second in the Western Conference. During the playoffs, they defeated the defending champion Dallas Mavericks (4–0), the Los Angeles Lakers (4–1), and the #1 West Seed San Antonio Spurs (4–2).[9]

The Thunder came into the Finals as the second-youngest finalists in NBA history.[10] With the exception of Derek Fisher (with the Los Angeles Lakers), Nazr Mohammed (with the San Antonio Spurs) and Kendrick Perkins (with the Boston Celtics), all players from the Thunder were playing in their first NBA Finals. They were the first Western Conference team in fourteen years to play in the NBA Finals without coming from the states of California or Texas.

Road to the Finals

Main article: 2012 NBA Playoffs
Oklahoma City Thunder (Western Conference Champion)Miami Heat (Eastern Conference Champion)
Western Conference
# Team W L PCT GB GP
1 c-San Antonio Spurs * 50 16 .758 – 66
2 y-Oklahoma City Thunder * 47 19 .712 3.0 66
3 y-Los Angeles Lakers * 41 25 .621 9.0 66
4 x-Memphis Grizzlies 41 25 .621 9.0 66
5 x-Los Angeles Clippers 40 26 .606 10.0 66
6 x-Denver Nuggets 38 28 .576 12.0 66
7 x-Dallas Mavericks 36 30 .545 14.0 66
8 x-Utah Jazz 36 30 .545 14.0 66
9 Houston Rockets 34 32 .515 16.0 66
10 Phoenix Suns 33 33 .500 17.0 66
11 Portland Trail Blazers 28 38 .424 22.0 66
12 Minnesota Timberwolves 26 40 .394 24.0 66
13 Golden State Warriors 23 43 .348 27.0 66
14 Sacramento Kings 22 44 .333 28.0 66
15 New Orleans Hornets 21 45 .318 29.0 66

2nd seed in the West, 3rd best league record

 Regular season
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Chicago Bulls 50 16 .758 –
2 y-Miami Heat 46 20 .697 4
3 x-Indiana Pacers 42 24 .636 8
4 y-Boston Celtics 39 27 .591 11
5 x-Atlanta Hawks 40 26 .606 10
6 x-Orlando Magic 37 29 .561 13
7 x-New York Knicks 36 30 .545 14
8 x-Philadelphia 76ers 35 31 .530 15
9 Milwaukee Bucks 31 35 .470 19
10 Detroit Pistons 25 41 .379 25
11 Toronto Raptors 23 43 .348 27
12 New Jersey Nets 22 44 .333 28
13 Cleveland Cavaliers 21 45 .318 29
14 Washington Wizards 20 46 .303 30
15 Charlotte Bobcats 7 59 .106 43

2nd seed in the East, 4th best league record

Defeated the 7th seeded Dallas Mavericks, 4–0 First round Defeated the 7th seeded New York Knicks, 4–1
Defeated the 3rd seeded Los Angeles Lakers, 4–1 Conference Semifinals Defeated the 3rd seeded Indiana Pacers, 4–2
Defeated the 1st seeded San Antonio Spurs, 4–2 Conference Finals Defeated the 4th seeded Boston Celtics, 4–3

Regular season series

The season series was tied, 1–1, with both teams winning at their home floor.

The series

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)[11]

Game 1

June 12
9:00 pm
Miami Heat 94, Oklahoma City Thunder 105
Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 25–25, 19–27, 21–31
Pts: LeBron James 30
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 11
Asts: Dwyane Wade 8		 Pts: Kevin Durant 36
Rebs: Nick Collison 10
Asts: Russell Westbrook 11
Oklahoma City leads series, 1–0
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Attendance: 18,203
Referees:

The Thunder defeated the Heat, 105–94, in Game 1. Miami held the lead for most of the first three quarters, including a 13-point lead at one point during the second quarter. The Heat made five three-pointers to jump to a 29–22 lead by the end of the first quarter, but Oklahoma City kept on pace with Miami to keep the score at 54–47 by halftime. The Thunder then took the lead for good with 16 seconds left in the third quarter after Russell Westbrook made a free throw to make it 74–73. Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 36 points, while Westbrook had 27. LeBron James led the Heat with 30 points, but was held to one basket during the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter.[12]

Game 1 of this series marked the first time since 2008 that the NBA Finals started after the conclusion of the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals. The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals ended the day before.

Game 2

June 14
9:00 pm
Miami Heat 100, Oklahoma City Thunder 96
Scoring by quarter: 27–15, 28–28, 23–24, 22–29
Pts: LeBron James 32
Rebs: Chris Bosh 15
Asts: James, Wade 5 each		 Pts: Kevin Durant 32
Rebs: Perkins, Westbrook 8 each
Asts: Russell Westbrook 7
Series tied, 1–1
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Attendance: 18,203
Referees:
  • No. 43 Dan Crawford
  • No. 25 Tony Brothers
  • No. 49 Tom Washington

The Heat defeated the Thunder 100-96 in Game 2, tying the series at one game a piece and giving the Thunder their first home playoff loss of the season. Miami never trailed, building a 27–15 first quarter lead, and holding a 17-point advantage at one point. The Thunder attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter, and with 37 seconds left in the game, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant made a three-pointer to cut the deficit, 98–96.Kevin Durant would miss a game-tying jumper in the closing seconds as Miami held off Oklahoma City for the Game 2 win.LeBron James led the Heat with 32 points.[13]

Game 3

June 17
8:00 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 85, Miami Heat 91
Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 26–21, 21–22, 18–22
Pts: Kevin Durant 25
Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 12
Asts: James Harden 6		 Pts: LeBron James 29
Rebs: LeBron James 14
Asts: Dwyane Wade 7
Miami leads series, 2–1
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,003
Referees:

Miami won Game 3, 91-85, to go up two games to one in the series. Miami had a slim 47–46 halftime lead before Oklahoma City began the third quarter with a 10–4 run, eventually building a 10-point lead midway through the period. However, Miami scored the last seven points in the third quarter to regain the lead at 69–67. With 7:36 remaining in the game, the Thunder came back to retake the lead at 77–76, but the Heat then scored eight unanswered points to build an 84–77 advantage with 3:47 left. A 6–0 run by Oklahoma City pulled them within one point of Miami with 90 seconds left, but the Thunder could not score again for the rest of the game while the Heat made five insurance free throws.[14]

Game 4

June 19
9:00 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 98, Miami Heat 104
Scoring by quarter: 33–19, 16–27, 26–33, 23–25
Pts: Russell Westbrook 43
Rebs: James Harden 10
Asts: Russell Westbrook 5		 Pts: LeBron James 26
Rebs: Bosh, James 9 each
Asts: LeBron James 12
Miami leads series, 3–1
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,003
Referees:
  • No. 48 Scott Foster
  • No. 24 Mike Callahan
  • No. 55 Bill Kennedy

Miami won Game 4, 104–98, to go up three games to one in the series. The Thunder jumped to a 33–19 lead by the end the first quarter, but the Heat rallied to cut the score to 49–46 at halftime, thanks to two huge three-pointers by Heat rookie Norris Cole. The two teams remained neck-and-neck throughout most of the third quarter, with Miami holding a 4-point lead at the start of fourth period. However, for the final 16 minutes of the game, Russell Westbrook (who led the Thunder with 43 points) and Kevin Durant (who had 28 points) were the only two Oklahoma City players able to score. With the other Thunder players struggling to make their shots, Miami was able to pull away in the end, largely thanks to late-game heroics from LeBron James, Mario Chalmers and Dwyane Wade. LeBron James led the Heat with 26 points, including the go ahead three pointer, but had to sit out during the final two minutes of the game due to leg cramps.[15] Mario Chalmers scored 25 points and made two key plays to seal Miami's win: a driving layup around a well-positioned Serge Ibaka and two free throws after a rare mistake by Westbrook (he fouled Chalmers after the point guard recovered Shane Battier's tip on a jump ball with less than 1 minute left, thinking that the shot clock would reset, while NBA rules do not reset at that point in a 4th quarter if the team that previously had the ball re-gains possession off the tip).

Game 5

June 21
9:00 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 106, Miami Heat 121
Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 23–28, 22–36, 35–26
Pts: Kevin Durant 32
Rebs: Kevin Durant 11
Asts: Russell Westbrook 6		 Pts: LeBron James 26
Rebs: LeBron James 11
Asts: LeBron James 13
Miami wins NBA Finals, 4–1
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,003
Referees:

Miami won Game 5, 121–106, to win the series, four games to one.[16] After keeping it a close game in the first half, the Thunder were outscored by 14 in the third quarter, with Miami leading as much as 27 at one point. Miami was fueled by strong performances by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, as well as by Mike Miller, who was 7 for 8 for three-pointers, ending the night with 23 points. Miller only entered the game because Wade encountered foul trouble in the first half, with Coach Erik Spoelstra telling the variously-injured veteran the Heat just needed him to hold the fort until the 2nd quarter began; when Miller hit two three-pointers, Spoelstra asked him if he could keep playing and Miller said yes, leading to 23 minutes on the court that were critical in blowing the game open for Miami. The team tied an NBA Finals record for most 3-pointers in a game with 14.[16] With three minutes remaining in the game, both teams took their starters out of the game, with the Heat still leading by more than 20 points. With their Game 5 win, the Heat won their second NBA championship in team history, and the first for several Heat players, including James, who was named the NBA Finals MVP after averaging 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in the finals, capping it all off with his first triple double of the season in the final game.[16] For the Thunder, Kevin Durant had 32 points, and 11 rebounds; Russell Westbrook had 19 points and 6 assists; and James Harden led the bench with 19 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds.[16]

The Heat became just the third home team to sweep the middle three games of a Finals series since the NBA switched to the 2–3–2 format in 1985, the other two being their 2006 team and the 2004 Detroit Pistons. They also joined the 2004 Pistons and 1995 Houston Rockets as the only lower seeded team to win the Finals in 5 games or less. In addition, they became the first team to win the NBA Finals after trailing in three different series in the postseason, 1–2 against Indiana, 2–3 against Boston, and 0–1 against Oklahoma City. Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem are the only Heat players to win both 2006 and 2012 NBA championships for the Miami Heat, while head coach Erik Spoelstra earned a second ring to go with the one he earned as an assistant for the 2006 team. The Heat's second title also made them the first franchise in the NBA's Southeast Division with multiple titles (the Atlanta Hawks won the title in 1958 while they were based in St. Louis, and the Washington Wizards won in 1978, while the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets have not won any NBA titles as of 2015) and they remain the only expansion team in the past 25 years to ever win a title.

Statistical leaders

Category High Average
Player Team Total Player Team Avg. Games played
Points Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder 43 Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder 30.6 5
Rebounds Chris Bosh Miami Heat 15 LeBron James Miami Heat 10.2 5
Assists LeBron James Miami Heat 13 LeBron James Miami Heat 7.4 5
Steals LeBron James Miami Heat 4 Mario Chalmers Miami Heat 1.8 5
Blocks Serge Ibaka Oklahoma City Thunder 5 Serge Ibaka Oklahoma City Thunder 2.0 5

Rosters

Miami Heat

2011–12 Miami Heat roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
F/C 50 Anthony, Joel 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1982–08–09 UNLV
F 31 Battier, Shane 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1978–09–09 Duke
F 1 Bosh, Chris 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1984–05–19 Georgia Tech
G 15 Chalmers, Mario 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1986–03–24 Kansas
G 30 Cole, Norris 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1988–10–13 Cleveland State
C 34 Curry, Eddy 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 295 lb (134 kg) 1982–12–05 Thornwood HS (IL)
G 14 Harris, Terrel 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1987–08–10 Oklahoma State
F/C 40 Haslem, Udonis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1980–06–09 Florida
F 5 Howard, Juwan 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1973–02–07 Michigan
F 6 James, LeBron (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1984–12–30 St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (OH)
F 22 Jones, James 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1980–10–04 Miami (FL)
F 13 Miller, Mike 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1980–02–19 Florida
C 45 Pittman, Dexter 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 285 lb (129 kg) 1988–03–02 Texas
F/C 21 Turiaf, Ronny 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 246 lb (112 kg) 1983–01–13 Gonzaga
G 3 Wade, Dwyane 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1982–01–17 Marquette
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (DL) On assignment to D-League affiliate
  • Injured

Oklahoma City Thunder

2011–12 Oklahoma City Thunder roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
C 45 Aldrich, Cole 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1988–10–31 Kansas
F/C 4 Collison, Nick 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1980–10–26 Kansas
G 14 Cook, Daequan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1987–04–28 Ohio State
G/F 35 Durant, Kevin (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1988–09–29 Texas
G 37 Fisher, Derek 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1974–08–09 Arkansas–Little Rock
G 13 Harden, James 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1989–08–26 Arizona State
F 11 Hayward, Lazar 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1986–11–26 Marquette
F 9 Ibaka, Serge 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1989–09–18 Republic of the Congo
G 7 Ivey, Royal 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1981–12–20 Texas
G 15 Jackson, Reggie 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1990–04–16 Boston C
G 6 Maynor, Eric  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1987–06–11 Virginia Commonwealth
C 8 Mohammed, Nazr 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1977–09–05 Kentucky
C 5 Perkins, Kendrick 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 267 lb (121 kg) 1984–11–10 Clifton J. Ozen HS (TX)
G/F 2 Sefolosha, Thabo 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1984–05–02 Switzerland
G 0 Westbrook, Russell (C) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1988–11–12 UCLA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (DL) On assignment to D-League affiliate
  • Injured

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
Miami Heat
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Anthony, JoelJoel Anthony 1 0 2.1 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Battier, ShaneShane Battier 5 5 37.5 .613 .577 .714 3.4 0.4 0.8 0.0 11.6
Bosh, ChrisChris Bosh 5 4 36.6 .452 .400 .882 9.4 0.2 0.6 1.2 14.6
Chalmers, MarioMario Chalmers 5 5 36.5 .442 .348 .857 2.6 4.0 1.8 0.4 10.4
Cole, NorrisNorris Cole 4 0 11.0 .333 .429 .000 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.3
Harris, TerrelTerrel Harris 1 0 3.0 .000 .000 .750 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0
Haslem, UdonisUdonis Haslem 5 1 16.3 .400 .000 .833 4.4 0.4 0.0 0.4 2.6
Howard, JuwanJuwan Howard 1 0 3.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
James, LeBronLeBron James 5 5 44.1 .472 .188 .826 10.2 7.4 1.6 0.4 28.6
Jones, JamesJames Jones 4 0 10.7 .500 .400 1.000 1.5 0.0 0.3 0.0 2.8
Miller, MikeMike Miller 5 0 8.9 .563 .636 1.000 1.8 0.4 0.2 0.2 6.2
Turiaf, RonnyRonny Turiaf 1 0 3.0 .000 .000 .000 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Wade, DwyaneDwyane Wade 5 5 40.6 .435 .400 .775 6.0 5.2 1.4 1.2 22.6
Oklahoma City Thunder
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Aldrich, ColeCole Aldrich 1 0 4.7 1.000 .000 .000 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0
Collison, NickNick Collison 5 0 16.6 .600 .000 .000 4.6 0.6 0.6 0.2 3.6
Cook, DaequanDaequan Cook 3 0 3.5 .333 .000 .000 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.7
Durant, KevinKevin Durant 5 5 42.6 .548 .394 .839 6.0 2.2 1.4 1.0 30.6
Fisher, DerekDerek Fisher 5 0 25.6 .423 .357 1.000 1.6 0.8 1.0 0.0 5.6
Harden, JamesJames Harden 5 0 32.8 .375 .318 .792 4.8 3.6 1.2 0.0 12.4
Hayward, LazarLazar Hayward 1 0 4.7 .500 .000 .000 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0
Ibaka, SergeSerge Ibaka 5 5 26.3 .424 .000 .636 5.2 0.8 0.4 2.0 7.0
Ivey, RoyalRoyal Ivey 1 0 3.0 1.000 1.000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.0
Perkins, KendrickKendrick Perkins 5 5 23.2 .429 .000 .750 6.8 0.0 0.2 0.6 4.8
Sefolosha, ThaboThabo Sefolosha 5 5 25.9 .296 .182 .833 2.0 1.0 1.4 0.8 4.6
Westbrook, RussellRussell Westbrook 5 5 42.3 .433 .136 .824 6.4 6.6 1.0 0.4 27.0

Broadcast

In the United States, the NBA Finals aired on ABC and Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy served as commentators. ESPN Radio aired it as well and had Jim Durham, Jack Ramsey and Hubie Brown as commentators.[17]

Game Ratings
(households) 		Share
(households) 		American audience
(in millions)
1[18] 9.9 16 16.195
2[18] 10.4 18 16.670
3[18] 8.8 15 15.549
4[19] 10.5 17 17.455
5[19] 10.9 18 18.461

Aftermath

Days before the start of the 2012–13 season, the Thunder traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets after failing to come up with a contract extension. Despite losing Harden, the Thunder won 60 games for the first time since moving to Oklahoma City, in the process claiming the top seed in the Western Conference. Kevin Durant, despite finishing second to Carmelo Anthony in scoring, became the youngest member of the 50–40–90 club by shooting 51% from the field, 42% from three-point range, and 91% from the free throw line. In the playoffs, the Thunder eliminated former teammate Harden and the Rockets in six games in the first round. During that series, however, Russell Westbrook slightly tore his right meniscus, ending his season. The loss of Westbrook proved crucial, as the Thunder lost to the defensive-minded Memphis Grizzlies in five games of the conference semifinals.

The Heat repeated as champions the next season by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in a tough seven-game series. Before the season began, the Heat acquired veteran sharpshooter Ray Allen from the Boston Celtics, then added energetic forward Chris Andersen midway through the season. The Heat won a league second-best 27 consecutive games before finishing with a franchise-record 66 wins and the top overall seed. In the playoffs, the Heat swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, defeated the Chicago Bulls in five games of the second round, overcame the Indiana Pacers in seven games of the conference finals, before winning the championship against the Spurs. The next season the Heat failed to win a third straight championship, losing to the Spurs 4-1 in a rematch of the previous season's finals. The Spurs had defeated the Thunder in the Western Conference finals prior to the NBA finals. The Heat loss in the finals led LeBron James to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers to join with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, which eventually reached the Finals before losing to the Golden State Warriors in six games and again reached the Finals in a rematch with the Golden State Warriors and beat the Warriors in seven games to give the Cleveland Cavaliers the franchise's first NBA Championship.

References

  1. ↑ "2012 National Basketball Association Important Dates". NBA. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  2. ↑ Whitley, David (June 10, 2012). "Miami Heat's second-straight NBA Finals appearance not enough to remove doubt around LeBron James". Sporting News. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Pat Riley: The Miami Years". ESPN. June 21, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  4. ↑ Hawkins, Mark (June 11, 2012). "Miami Heat's Road to the 2012 NBA Finals: Fan's Take". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  5. ↑ Haberstroh, Tom (April 9, 2012). "The rise and fall of rookie Norris Cole". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  6. ↑ Wallace, Michael (December 10, 2011). "Eddy Curry signs with Miami Heat". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  7. ↑ Brian, Windhorst (December 8, 2011). "Shane Battier to sign with Heat". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  8. ↑ Associated Press (March 21, 2012). "Ronny Turiaf signs with Heat". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  9. 1 2 Hawkins, Mark (June 10, 2012). "Oklahoma City Thunder's Road to the 2012 NBA Finals: Fan's Take". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  10. ↑ Sherman, Mike (June 18, 2012). "NBA Finals: Thunder has overcome much, but it must now overcome doubt". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Bizball: NBA Releases Finals Schedule". Forbes. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Kevin Durant, Thunder pull away from Heat, win Game 1". ESPN. Associated Press. June 12, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  13. ↑ "LeBron James, Heat hold off Thunder, knot NBA Finals at 1–1". ESPN. Associated Press. June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  14. ↑ "LeBron James leads way with 29 points, 14 boards as Heat go up 2–1". ESPN. Associated Press. June 17, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Heat overcome Russell Westbrook's 43 points, take 3–1 Finals lead". ESPN. Associated Press. June 19, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  16. 1 2 3 4 ESPN. "LeBron James, Heat dominate Thunder to win NBA championship". Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  17. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 10, 2012). "NBA Finals Tip Off Tuesday on ABC & ESPN Radio". TVbytheNumbers. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  18. 1 2 3 Kondolojy, Amanda (June 19, 2012). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: NBA Finals Top Week 39 Viewing". TVbytheNumbers. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  19. 1 2 Bibel, Sarah (June 26, 2012). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: NBA Finals Top Week 40 Viewing". TVbytheNumbers. Retrieved June 26, 2012.

External links

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