Miami Heat beat San Antonio Spurs to win NBA championship

Miami Heat held onto their NBA title Thursday night when they beat San Antonio Spurs 95-88 in a knock down title fight all the way to the final buzzer.

LeBron James and the Miami Heat fought it out against a strong Spurs side, who were determined not to go down and out in what became the final round in a hard fought Game 7.

James led the Heat to their second straight title, scoring 37 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a tense Game 7 that was tight until Miami pulled away in the final minute.

Winning the title they needed to validate their best season in franchise history – and perhaps the three-superstar system they used to build it – the Heat ran off with the second straight thriller in the NBA’s first championship series to go the distance since 2010.

“It took everything we had as a team,” said Dwyane Wade.

“Credit to the San Antonio Spurs, they’re an unbelievable team, an unbelievable franchise. This is the hardest series we ever had to play. But we’re a resilient team and we did whatever it took.”

Two nights after his Game 6 save when the Heat were almost eliminated, James continued his unparalleled run through the basketball world, with two titles and an Olympic gold medal in the last 12 months.

“I work on my game a lot, throughout the offseason,” said James, who was MVP for the second straight finals.

“I put a lot of work into it and to be able to come out here and (have) the results happen out on the floor is the ultimate. The ultimate. I’m at a loss for words.”

He made five 3-pointers, defended Tony Parker when he had to, and did everything else that could ever be expected from the best player in the game.

The Heat became the NBA’s first repeat champions since the Lakers in 2009-10, and the first team to beat the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

Players and coaches hugged each other after the game. Fans stood, clapped and danced as the clock ticked down, when every score was answered by another and each stop followed by a better stop.

The Heat pushed their lead to six points a few times midway through the fourth but San Antonio kept coming back.

The Spurs, who had been so close two nights earlier, couldn’t find a way to win it all in what was perhaps the last shot Tim Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili will ever get together.

“In my case I still have Game 6 in my head,” said Ginobili.

“Today we played an OK game, they just made more shots than us. LeBron got hot. Shane, too. Those things can happen. But being so close and feeling that you are about to grab that trophy, and seeing it vanish is very hard.”

Duncan had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, but missed a shot and follow attempt right under the basket with about 50 seconds left and the Spurs trailing by two.

James followed with a jumper to make it 92-88, sending San Antonio to a timeout.

He then came up with a steal and made two free throws for a six-point lead, and after Ginobili missed, James stalked toward the sideline, knowing it was over and that he was, once again, the last one standing.

Wade had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who overcame a scoreless Chris Bosh by getting six 3-pointers and 18 points from Shane Battier.

Streamers fell from the arena ceiling onto the fans for the second year in a row, but this one meant so much more.