Who Won the 2012 NBA Finals?

The 2012 NBA Finals were one of the most exciting in recent memory, with the Miami Heat defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. Who won the Finals MVP?

The Teams

The Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder met in the 2012 NBA Finals. The Thunder had beaten the Heat in the regular season, but the Heat were able to turn things around and win the series in five games.

The Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The Heat play their home games at American Airlines Arena.

The team owner is Micky Arison, while Pat Riley serves as the team president and head coach. The franchise began play in the 1988–89 NBA season as an expansion team. After a period of mediocrity, the Heat would gain relevance during the 1990s following the appointment of former head coach Pat Riley in 1996, who would lead them to their first ever playoff appearance later that same year. In 2005, Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Heat in exchange for several players; this would lead to their first NBA championship which came just over a year later in 2006 after defeating the Mavericks.Following their success in 2006 and 2012, they went on to make four consecutive Finals appearances from 2011 to 2014, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013; this made them one of only two teams to appear in four consecutive Finals since 1999 (the other being the San Antonio Spurs). James and Wade would both depart from the Heat during free agency periods following those seasons; however, with O’Neal resigning with Miami for a second time and with Chris Bosh coming over from Toronto through sign-and-trade, James and Wade rejoined forces with Bosh in 2010 to form what was dubbed by sports media as “The Big Three”. As they were able to retain their core group of players during that offseason (one which also saw Udonis Haslem re-signing with the team), they went on to win two more championships in back-to-back seasons; making them one of only three teams since 1999 (alongside San Antonio and Los Angeles) to win three titles consecutively.

The Miami Heat hold numerous NBA records including winning 66 games during the regular season during 2013 which is an all-time best for an NBA defending champion; becoming just the sixth team overall and fourth defending champion since 1966–67 (when it became an 82 game season) to do so. They also set an NBA record by starting off 27–0 at home during 2013 en route to their eventual 66 win season; this was also an all-time best for any defending champion until Golden State surpassed that record during 2015 en route to having a 67–15 record that same year however Miami is currently still tied for second place alongside Detroit’s 44–0 home start during 1989 en route to their eventual 63 win season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays its home games at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The Thunder were previously known as the Seattle SuperSonics from 1967 to 2008 until it was relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 under the ownership of Clay Bennett. In Seattle, the SuperSonics qualified for the NBA Playoffs 22 times, won their division six times, advanced to three NBA Finals, and won the 1979 NBA Championship. In Oklahoma City, the franchise has qualified for the NBA Playoffs nine times since relocating, won their division three times (all in a row from 2011 to 2013), advanced to one NBA Finals where they lost to the Miami Heat in five games in 2012, and have yet to win an NBA Championship.

The Players

LeBron James and the Miami Heat are the 2012 NBA Champions. James was named the Finals MVP, averaging 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. Other key players for the Heat include Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Shane Battier.

LeBron James

LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. As a high school student, he was heavily recruited by colleges across the country before finally choosing to attend St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. In his senior year, James was named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball and Gatorade National Player of the Year before going on to be selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.

During his first season in the NBA, James quickly established himself as one of the league’s best players and went on to be named Rookie of the Year. He would go on to lead the Cavaliers to their first ever Finals appearance in 2007, but they would ultimately fall short to the San Antonio Spurs in four games. After losing to the Boston Celtics in the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals, James would eventually decide to leave Cleveland in 2010 as a free agent and join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat.

In his first season with Miami, James would once again lead his team to the NBA Finals where they would face off against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks would ultimately come out victorious in six games, but James would bounce back strong the following year as he led the Heat to an NBA championship over Oklahoma City Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. He was named Finals MVP for his efforts.

The 2012 Finals saw James and the Heat matched up against Durant and Westbrook once again, this time with a trip to the Olympics on the line as well. After falling behind two games to one, James took over and led Miami back to win three straight games and capture their second consecutive championship. For his efforts, James was named Finals MVP for a second straight year becoming just the third player in NBA history (joining Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal) to achieve that feat.

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant,born September 29, 1988 is an American professional basketball player who has played small forward and power forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since his rookie season in 2007. He is a five-time NBA All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2017.
Durant was the unanimous winner of the 2008 NBA Rookie of the Year Award after being selected as the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Thunder. He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, where he won numerous year-end awards and became the first freshman to be named Naismith College Player of the Year.
In his second season with Oklahoma City, Durant was named to his first All-Star team and earned his first All-NBA selection. He helped lead the Thunder to their first playoff berth in four years and became one of four players in NBA history to join the 20–5–5 club after averaging at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game that season. Durant has continued to improve throughout his career and has set numerous youngest player records. By scoring 32 points in a game against Denver on January 18, 2009 Durant became youngest player ever to score 30 or more points three games in a row; at 20 years and 24 days old he broke Kobe Bryant’s previous record by more than eight months.

The Coaches

The 2012 NBA Finals were the championship series of the 2011–12 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat defeated the Western Conference champions Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 to win their second NBA title.

Erik Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra (born November 1, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach. He is the head coach of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a graduate of the University of Portland where he played basketball for the Pilots. In his youth, he also played tennis competitively.

Scott Brooks

Scott Brooks (born July 31, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, with which he won an NBA championship in 2012.

The Series

Game 1

The Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder met in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 12, 2012. The game was held at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.

The Heat were the defending champions, having won the NBA Finals in 2011. The Thunder were making their first appearance in the NBA Finals.

TheThunder won the game, 105-94. Kevin Durant was named the MVP of the series.

Game 2

The Miami Heat evened the series at 1 game apiece with LeBron James leading the way. He had a triple double in the game, scoring 32 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Chris Bosh also played a big role in the win, scoring 19 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. The Oklahoma City Thunder will have to regroup and try to take back home court advantage when the series shifts to Oklahoma City for games 3 and 4.

Game 3

The Heat took an early lead in the game, but the Thunder fought back and took a slim lead at halftime. Durant and LeBron James traded shots in the third quarter, with neither team able to gain an advantage. The game was close throughout the fourth quarter, but the Thunder pulled away in the end to win, 105-94. Durant had a game-high 30 points, while James finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Game 4

The defending champion Dallas Mavericks took Game 4 107-95 to even the series at two games apiece. After a close first half, the Mavericks outscored the Heat by 14 points in the third quarter to take control of the game. Dallas held on in the fourth quarter to earn the win and even the series.

Game 5

The Miami Heat evened the series at two games apiece with a 109–93 win in Game 4. LeBron James scored 29 points and Chris Bosh had 20 as Miami took control with a 23–5 run to close out the third quarter. Dwyane Wade added 15 points for the Heat, who got a key lift from their bench. Mike Miller, playing his first game of the series, had eight points and three 3-pointers in the win.

The Oklahoma City Thunder took Game 5, 120–106, to take a 3–2 lead in the series. Kevin Durant scored 32 points and Russell Westbrook had 30 as Oklahoma City held off a late surge by Miami. James Harden added 17 points for the Thunder, who never trailed in the game. Wade scored 22 points for Miami, but it wasn’t enough as the Heat’s bid to repeat as NBA champions fell short.

Game 6

The Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 in Game 6 of the 2012 NBA Finals on Thursday night to win their second consecutive championship.

LeBron James was named the Finals MVP for the second straight year after averaging 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in the series. James shot 56 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range in the Finals.

The Heat won Games 1, 2 and 6 at home, while the Thunder won Games 3, 4 and 5 in Oklahoma City.

In Games 1-5, each team had won two games on its home court. But in Thursday’s Game 6, the Heat took control early and never trailed, outscoring the Thunder 30-19 in the first quarter and leading by as many as 15 points in the second half.

The Heat became just the fifth team in NBA history to win a Finals series after trailing 3-2. They are also only the third team to win back-to-back championships since 2000, joining the Los Angeles Lakers (2000-02) and San Antonio Spurs (2003, 2005).

Game 7

The last and final game of the 2012 NBA Finals was a powerful one. The Miami Heat were playing the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the former were behind most of the game. However, they soon turned it around in the fourth quarter and won the game 105-95. This gave them the title of NBA champions for 2012.

The Aftermath

As the 2012 NBA Finals come to an end, the Miami Heat are victorious against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The final score was 121-106, with the Heat winning their second NBA championship in franchise history. Now that the dust has settled, let’s take a look at the aftermath of the 2012 NBA Finals.

The 2012 NBA Finals MVP

The 2012 NBA Finals MVP was LeBron James of the Miami Heat. James was named the Finals MVP for the second time in his career, after previously winning the award in 2009. He became the first player in NBA history to win back-to-back Finals MVPs with different teams. James averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game during the Finals, leading the Heat to a 4-1 series victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.