The 2012 NBA Finals Recap

Okay, so I was wrong. It happens.

            The Miami Heat won the NBA Finals in four straight after losing Game 1, to clinch their second championship in franchise history (the first came in 2006, due largely to the brilliant play of Dwayne Wade). But the main story last night was LeBron James winning his first NBA title.

            "It's about damn time! It's about damn time!" James expressed after the game, betraying his frustration at having had to wait nine years before winning his first championship in the sport.

            Many, myself included, had lambasted the Miami Heat all season long, after their display of immaturity at the NBA Finals level last year, when they did not play up to their potential, yet made a point of mocking Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki. At that point, it seemed that the Heat could do no right, and so they had to suffer the indignities attached during the offseason, and throughout the course of this season, as well.

It was an up and down season this year for the Heat, as well. They at times looked like champions, like the dominant team that many foresaw, when the Heat were able to add Chris Bosh and LeBron James to their lineup to make a seemingly unbeatable "Big Three" that many instantly placed as favorites to win the NBA title, and some even proclaimed the next dynasty (including, infamously, LeBron James himself). So, when the Heat failed to win the Finals last season, and then struggled this season, especially on the road, it seemed that there was something fundamentally wrong with this team, and that maybe they just did not possess the maturity or the strength of character to actually win a championship. In the playoffs, they looked bad in falling behind in the series against both Indiana and Boston, and the immaturity factor (particularly in the case of Dwayne Wade) was beginning to seem like the team's main obstacle. Many thought that the Heat were bound for a surprising early exit, and few were those who believed, even among a number of fans that I spoke with. Yes, I was one of their detractors, and subscribed to the view that they just were not tough enough or mature enough mentally to finish the deal. But I was wrong, obviously.

I just did not expect that the Miami Heat would be able to pull off four victories overall against OKC, let alone winning four straight against them, losing only that first game in the series.

            The thing is, Oklahoma City was right in every single game, until that last one last night to clinch the series for the Heat – and even that was not as lopsided as the score would indicate, strangely enough. When the Thunder fell behind, they would make these quick little runs with a burst of energy to suddenly make the game much closer. They were losing by double digits for much of the second half, yet within a couple of minutes of the second half, had pulled to within five points of the Heat.

            Eventually, though, the Miami Heat were able to reassert a strong lead and dictate the tempo the rest of the way, building a 25 point lead in the third quarter. Oklahoma City just was not able to get back in the game.

            It was unfortunate, too, because it makes this series look as if it were completely lopsided, when in fact nothing could be farther from the truth. All of the other games were close, except for Game 1, which the Thunder actually won. At that point, it seemed that there was a question as to whether or not Miami could keep up with the red-hot Thunder, who seemed to be peaking at exactly the right time. Everything just seemed to be clicking, and the Heat figured to have their work cut out for them.

            But Miami seemed up to the task when they defeated the Thunder in Oklahoma City for Game 2, becoming the first team to steal a victory there from the home team, who had previously been undefeated there throughout the playoffs.

            It proved costly, as the Thunder never seemed to recover.

            Perhaps they should have been able to win a game in Miami, and they came very close. But it was not enough to actually pull a win off and force this series back to OKC for Game 6, and a decisive Game 7, if it came to that. I will admit that it seemed very unlikely that the Heat would literally win each of the three consecutive home games that they had in the middle of the series.

            Yet, that is exactly what happened. Nor is it the first time in the franchise's history that they have won those middle three games, en route to an NBA Championship, since they did it in 2006. After losing the first two games in Dallas, they took all three in Miami, and then clinched the series in Game 6 in Dallas, as the flustered Mavericks seemed totally out of sync. The Heat have now done it twice, and the feat was only accomplished one other time, in 2004, when the Detroit Pistons became the first team to win those three consecutive middle games to clinch the series against the favored Lakers in five. Both times that the Miami Heat did it, they were underdogs in the series, as well. No team has yet been able to recover from losing all three games on the road in the middle of the series to win a title.

            So, for the second time in team history, the Miami Heat hoisted the NBA Championship trophy and are kings of basketball. LeBron James and Chris Bosh have their first championship, while Dwayne Wade celebrates his second title.

            For Oklahoma City, there are going to be some big question marks now. Mostly, it is whether this team will stick together in the long run, because if they do, they surely seem to have all the pieces, and the talent, to not only make another title run, but to win the NBA Championship in the very near future, quite possibly next season. Perhaps they have a chance at more than one title. For the second consecutive postseason, they enjoyed amazing success, going farther than most people assumed that they could. They swept the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round, exacting a measure of revenge on their defeat to them last postseason. They then humbled the Los Angeles Lakers in five, getting revenge for the series loss two years ago to them. Then, they overcame a 2-0 series deficit against the San Antonio Spurs, who were looking like a dominant team of destiny, in order to win four straight and take the Western Conference. They showed a level of maturity that was a bit surprising for a team so young.

            As painful as this loss must be for them, they still have all the tools in place to get the NBA title, even though it did not happen this season. They can take a lesson from the team that defeated them, this Miami Heat team, who lost last year's NBA Finals only to come back and win it all the next season. There is no reason that I can see why they would not be able to do that.

            Then, we have the Miami Heat. They made it to two consecutive NBA Finals now, with radically different results. If last year's loss raised questions and doubts, this year's championship serves to vindicate them, and answer many of the questions and doubts. Now, there questions will be of a different sort. Can they do it again next year? How long will they be able to play at this level, and how many titles can they still earn?