Posted by | Cyrena Rose
“The vision I had when I came here is all coming true,” James said early Friday morning.
At 28 years old, LeBron James still has so much within his enormous reach, but for the moment he and the Miami Heat can bask in their 2nd straight NBA Championship! James led the Miami Heat to a second straight NBA Finals title with a Game 7 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
LeBron went off for 37 points, 12 rebounds and five 3-pointers in Game 7, on his way to winning the 2013 #NBAFinals MVP. Shane Battier made six 3-pointers, the most ever in a Finals Game 7, and Dwyane Wade scored 23 points, but this victory – this championship – was won on James’ dominance.
“LeBron was unbelievable,” Tim Duncan said. “He stepped up in this last game and he made enough shots to make us change our defense over and over again. We just couldn’t find a way to stop him.”
James didn’t win this title alone. Wade has played understudy to James for much of this season, and he did again in Game 7. Still, after limping out of Game 6 after injuring his left knee, he returned Thursday with more life – and lift – in his legs. His 14 first-half points helped buy James some time to find his own shot.
The difference in these Finals came down to James, who wouldn’t let this championship slip from his grasp. Clinging to a two-point lead, season on the brink, the Heat walked out of that timeout and gave the ball to James. He dribbled right, stopped, gathered himself and raised up for one of the biggest shots of his career. The arc of the shot’s flight was pure, and as the ball settled into the net with 27.9 seconds left, the Heat had everything they needed for their second straight title and the franchise’s third overall.
Check out the video below of LeBron James accepting the Bill Russell MVP Trophy:
