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| Courtesy of NBA.com |
Yes folks, LeBron James is now the guy you want to give the ball to when a championship is on the line.
Need proof? With Miami clinging to a 90-88 lead in the final minute, James drained a long jump shot, stole a bad pass at the defensive end of the floor and then made two free throws to basically seal the Heat's 95-88 victory over San Antonio and a 4-3 win in the NBA Finals.
Sure, King James had help. Dwyane Wade turned in a 23-point performance while still dealing with his leg injury, and Shane Battier showed up and scored 18 points off the bench.
But when it counted the most, James was the one who made the big plays. That's why the Miami Heat are champions for the second year in a row, and that's why James is the MVP for the second year in a row.
As for San Antonio, you have to wonder if the Spurs just saw their last chance of winning an NBA title with their core trio slip away. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are both in their mid-30s, and Ginobili is a free agent. San Antonio has a budding star in Kawhi Leonard, but I'm thinking Danny Green is more of a role player than a star on the rise. Remember, Green only averaged 10.5 points per game during the regular season. He played well in three of the seven games in the NBA Finals, but he was rendered ineffective once Miami started guarding him closely.
Overall I think San Antonio is probably going to be a good team in 2013-14, but it will be very difficult for the Spurs to get back to the Finals with teams like Oklahoma City, Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers (perhaps the LA Lakers, too) standing in their way.
Meanwhile, Miami should be back in the championship mix next year. LeBron James will personally see to it.
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