The 2012 NBA Finals was the

championship series In sport, a championship is a Competition#Sports, competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match sy ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

's (NBA) 2011–12 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

defeated the Western Conference champion

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

four games to one to win their second NBA title. Heat forward

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...

was named the Finals MVP. The 2012 Finals marked the fourth time in franchise history that the Oklahoma City Thunder played in the NBA Finals. Previously known as the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

, the Thunder had not reached the Finals since

relocating Relocation, also known as moving, or moving house, is the process of leaving one's dwelling and settling in another. The new location can be in the same neighborhood or a much farther place in a different city or different country (immigration). ...

from

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

before the start of the 2008–2009 season. Prior to 2012, the franchise last played in the NBA Finals in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

as the SuperSonics, losing to the

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

-led

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

. The 2012 Thunder team was the second-youngest NBA Finals team in history. The 2012 Finals also marked the Miami Heat's second consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals and its third appearance overall. The Heat appeared in the Finals in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, defeating the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

, and were defeated by the Mavericks in the 2011 Finals.

Background

Miami Heat

This was the second consecutive appearance for the Heat, after losing to the

in . This was also their second Finals appearance in the " Big Three" era, being led by superstar LeBron James,

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (; born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA champi ...

, and

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

Chris Bosh Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft. Bos ...

. Their other Finals appearance was in , when they defeated the Mavericks to win their first NBA title. In the regular season, the Heat finished with 46 victories, then defeated the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

(4–1),

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

(4–2) and

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

(4–3) on their way to the Finals. Along the way, they managed to overcome serious 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. The 2011-2012 Heat team included several new players that had not played for the team during its 2011 Finals run, including Shane Battier,

Eddy Curry Eddy Anthony Curry Jr. (born December 5, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Coming directly out of Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry was selected fourth overall in the 2001 NBA draft by the Chicago B ...

Ronny Turiaf Ronny Turiaf ( , ; born 13 January 1983) is a French former professional basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Turiaf grew up in France and played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the U ...

, and rookies Terrel Harris and

Norris Cole Norris Gene Cole II (born October 13, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. A 6' 2" point guard, he is a two-time NBA champion, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 with the Miami ...

Oklahoma City Thunder

This was the Thunder's first NBA Finals appearance since the team relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008. Including their seasons as the Seattle SuperSonics, this was also the club's fourth Finals appearance, and first since , when they lost to the

-led

. The team was seeking their first NBA championship since . The Thunder finished with 47 wins, second in the Western Conference. During the playoffs, they defeated the defending champion

(4–0), the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

(4–1), and the #1 West Seed

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

(4–2). The Thunder came into the Finals as the second-youngest finalists in NBA history.

Road to the Finals

Regular season series

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

Series summary

Game summaries

:''All times are in

Eastern Daylight Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...

( UTC−4)''

Game 1

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 Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and ...

made a free throw to make it 74–73.

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...

led Oklahoma City with 36 points, while Westbrook had 27.

led the Heat with 30 points, but was held to one basket during the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter.

Game 2

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

made a three-pointer to cut the deficit, 98–96. Durant would miss a game-tying jumper in the closing seconds as Miami held off Oklahoma City for the Game 2 win. The play did not come without controversy however as many observers had felt that James had fouled Durant on the right hip during the shot, a potential sixth foul that would have taken the Heat superstar out of the game in the process.

led the Heat with 32 points, while Durant scored 32 of his own to lead the Thunder.

Game 3

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.

led the Heat with 29 points and 14 rebounds, while

scored 25 points to lead the Thunder.

Game 4

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

. 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,

(who led the Thunder with 43 points) and

(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

Mario Chalmers Almario Vernard "Mario" Chalmers (born May 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. He was selected as the 34th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Minnesota ...

and

. 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. Mario Chalmers scored 25 points and made two key plays to seal Miami's win: a driving layup around a well-positioned

Serge Ibaka Serge Jonás Ibaka Ngobila (; born 18 September 1989) is a Congolese-Spanish professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ibaka was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 24th over ...

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

Miami won Game 5, 121–106, to win the series, four games to one. After keeping it a close game in the first half, the Thunder were outscored 36–22 in the third quarter, with Miami leading as much as 27 at one point. Miami was fueled by strong performances by their "Big Three" of LeBron James,

, and

, 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. 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 The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of e ...

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. For the Thunder,

had 32 points, and 11 rebounds;

had 19 points and 6 assists; and

James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Harden is regarded as one of the greatest scorers and shooting guards in NBA ...

led the bench with 19 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds.

Rosters

Miami Heat

Oklahoma City Thunder

Player statistics

;Miami Heat , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 2.1 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 37.5 , , .613 , , .577 , , .714 , , 3.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 11.6 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 4 , , 36.6 , , .452 , , .400 , , .882 , , 9.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 1.2 , , 14.6 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 36.5 , , .442 , , .348 , , .857 , , 2.6 , , 4.0 , , 1.8 , , 0.4 , , 10.4 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .333 , , .429 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 3.3 , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 3.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 1 , , 16.3 , , .400 , , .000 , , .833 , , 4.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 0.4 , , 2.6 , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , -! style="background:#FDE910;" , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 44.1 , , .472 , , .188 , , .826 , , 10.2 , , 7.4 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 28.6 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 10.7 , , .500 , , .400 , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 2.8 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 8.9 , , .563 , , .636 , , 1.000 , , 1.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 6.2 , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 40.6 , , .435 , , .400 , , .775 , , 6.0 , , 5.2 , , 1.4 , , 1.2 , , 22.6 ;Oklahoma City Thunder , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 4.7 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 16.6 , , .600 , , .000 , , .000 , , 4.6 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 0 , , 3.5 , , .333 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.7 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 42.6 , , .548 , , .394 , , .839 , , 6.0 , , 2.2 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 30.6 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 25.6 , , .423 , , .357 , , 1.000 , , 1.6 , , 0.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 5.6 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 32.8 , , .375 , , .318 , , .792 , , 4.8 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , 0.0 , , 12.4 , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 4.7 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 26.3 , , .424 , , .000 , , .636 , , 5.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 2.0 , , 7.0 , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , 1.000 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 23.2 , , .429 , , .000 , , .750 , , 6.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 4.8 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 25.9 , , .296 , , .182 , , .833 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 4.6 , - , align="left" , , , 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 Michael Breen (born May 22, 1961) is an American play-by-play sports commentator for '' NBA on ABC'' and is the lead announcer for New York Knicks games on the MSG Network. Breen also calls NBA games for ESPN and was formerly a play-by-play anno ...

and

Jeff Van Gundy Jeffrey William Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962) is an American commentator for ESPN and former basketball coach. He served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his t ...

served as commentators. ESPN Radio aired it as well and had Jim Durham,

Jack Ramsey John Travilla Ramsay (February 21, 1925 – April 28, 2014) was an American basketball coach, commonly known as "Dr. Jack" (as he held an earned doctorate). He was best known for leading the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA championship, a ...

and

Hubie Brown Hubert Jude Brown (born September 25, 1933) is an American retired basketball coach and player and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years. Brown was inducted into the Naism ...

as commentators.

References

External links

Official website
of the 2012 NBA Finals
2012 NBA Finals
at

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

2012 NBA Finals
at Basketball-Reference.com {{Portal bar, Sports National Basketball Association Finals

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

2010s in Miami Sports competitions in Miami

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

Oklahoma City Thunder games June 2012 sports events in the United States ABS-CBN television specials