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 Miami Heat trio hugging teammates and coaches along the sideline.
Bosh, who had wept in a hallway 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 CityThunder, 121-106, in Game 5 to capture its first championship since 2006.
It was also the Heat’s first title since James and Bosh joined the team as free agents in the summer of 2010.
“I dreamed about this opportunity, this moment for a long time, including last night, including today,” James said as the nine-year NBA veteran sat on a stage flanked by the Larry O’Brien Trophy and the award he won for being selected the series’ most valuableplayer. “My dream has become a reality now and it’s the best feeling I’ve ever had.”
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 in its first three playoff series.
Maybe next year #OKC…
via BMS
