Who Won the 2012 NBA Championship?

The Miami Heat won the 2012 NBA Championship.

The teams

The Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Heat play their home games at American Airlines Arena, and are officially owned by Micky Arison, who also owns Carnival Cruise Lines. Pat Riley serves as the team president and head coach.

The franchise began play in 1988 as an expansion team, whereupon they joined the NBA as part of an expansion plan that aimed to spread the league’s popularity into geographies that had previously not contained any NBA teams. The Heat qualified for the playoffs in their first season (1991), but they did not win their first playoff series until 1995, when they beat the Orlando Magic 3–1 in the first round of a best-of-seven series. In 1997, led by future Hall of Fame head coach Pat Riley, who had been recruited by Arison three years earlier, and Alonzo Mourning (who had been acquired from Charlotte in a trade), the Heat won 55 regular season games behind Mourning’s 20.3 points per game (ppg) and 11.4 rebounds per game (rpg), en route to their first ever division championship. They went on to lose to eventual Eastern Conference champions Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in five games during the 1997 NBA Playoffs despite acknowledging before hand that they would have difficulty defeating them. Wade averaged 16.2 points during this time for his rookie season.[1]

The Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Thunder began play as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1967 and were one of thearo expansion franchises that joined the NBA that year. In 2008, the SuperSonics relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City, and became the Thunder.

The Thunder’s NBA G League affiliate is the Oklahoma City Blue, which it owned from 2008 until 2019, when it sold the team to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Thunder also operates two contact sports training academies—the OKC Thunder Academy and OKC Storm Academy—in Midwest City and Edmond respectively.

The players

LeBron James

LeBron James played a big role in the 2012 NBA Championship. He is a shooting guard/small forward for the Miami Heat. In the 2012 season, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player, and he was also named to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team. He was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio.

Kevin Durant

Although LeBron James ultimately took home the NBA Finals MVP honors, Durant was incredible throughout the series, averaging 30.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from three-point range. He was particularly effective in the Thunder’s two wins in Miami, averaging 36 points on 62 percent shooting in those contests. For the series as a whole, Durant posted a plus-minus of plus-85, easily the best mark among all players.

The coaches

Erik Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra (born November 1, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Spoelstra has led the Heat to appearances in four NBA Finals in 2012 and 2013, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. He is the first Asian-American head coach in NBA history.

Spoelstra was born in Evanston, Illinois, to Jon Spoelstra and Therese Horvers. His mother is of Dutch and Indonesian descent. His father was president of the Portland Trail Blazers and the Tacoma SuperSonics during part of Erik’s childhood, and later ran Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros; Erik spent summers with his father working for both teams. Jon Spoelstra died in 2010 at his home in Frankfurt, Germany.

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. Prior to his career in coaching, Brooks played college basketball for San Joaquin Delta College and Texas Christian University. Brooks began his professional playing career in 1988, playing for various teams in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), before joining the Albany Patroons of the CBA in 1990. In 1996, Brooks returned to Europe to play with Pallacanestro Biella in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A.

Brooks began his coaching career as a player-coach with Tirol Innsbruck of Austria’s NBA International League in 1997. The following year, he became an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Stars of the ABA. He then worked as an assistant coach with different NBA teams: Oklahoma CityThunder (2008–09), Sacramento Kings (2009–10), Phoenix Suns (2010–11) and Denver Nuggets (2011–12). On November 22, 2012, Brooks was hired by the Washington Wizards to be their new head coach.

The series

The 2012 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2011–12 season, and the conclusion of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion Miami Heat defeated the Eastern Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 to win their second NBA title.

Game 1

The series began on June 12, 2012, with Game 1 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The Heat were coming off a 99–76 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Thunder were fresh off a 103–100 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.

The Heat took an early lead in the first quarter and never relinquished it, maintaining a comfortable margin for most of the game. LeBron James scored 30 points and Chris Bosh added 19 points and eight rebounds as the Heat won 103–93 to take a 1–0 series lead. James was named player of the game.

Game 2

The Miami Heat took on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the 2012 NBA Finals. The Heat came out on top, defeating the Thunder 121-106. With the win, the Heat took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Game 3

The game was played on June 7, 2012, at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121–106 to win the series 4–1 and their second NBA championship. LeBron James was named the Finals MVP for the second time in his career.

Game 4

The Miami Heat evened the series at 2–2 with a 105–103 victory in Game 4. LeBron James scored 26 points and Chris Bosh scored 19 points. Dwyane Wade added 14 points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds. Ray Allen hit a key three-pointer with 22.9 seconds left to give the Heat the lead for good. Shane Battier provided strong defense on David West, who was limited to 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Paul George had 28 points for the Pacers, while Roy Hibbert had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Game 5

The game was close throughout, with neither team leading by more than six points. The game was tied at 86–86 with under a minute left in the fourth quarter when James hit a jumper to give the Heat a lead. After Durant missed a three-point attempt, Wade made two free throws to put the Heat up by four. Tyler Hansbrough made two free throws for the Pacers, and James missed a jumper, giving the ball back to Indiana. George made two free throws with 20.2 seconds remaining to tie the game at 90–90. After a timeout, James made a driving layup with 2.2 seconds left to give the Heat a 92–90 lead. George’s halfcourt buzzer beater attempt bounced off the rim, giving Miami the victory and their second consecutive NBA championship.

James was named Finals MVP for the second straight year after averaging 25.3 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists per game in the series. He became the third player in NBA history to win Finals MVP in consecutive years, joining Michael Jordan (1991–93) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994–95).

Game 6

The OKC Thunder entered Game 6 against the Miami Heat on their home court, up 3-2 in the series. The Heat had won the previous two games, but the Thunder had taken care of business at home in Games 3 and 4. With a trip to the NBA Finals on the line, both teams came out firing in Game 6.

The Thunder took an early lead, but the Heat fought back and took a slim lead into halftime. The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair, but the Thunder began to pull away in the fourth quarter. With under a minute to play, the Thunder were up 105-102 and appeared to be on their way to victory.

But then LeBron James happened. James hit a miraculous three-pointer over Kevin Durant to tie the game with under 30 seconds remaining. The Thunder had a chance to win it in regulation, but Durant’s shot was off the mark. The game went to overtime, and the Heat ultimately won 112-103. James was named Finals MVP for his herculean effort, and the Heat celebrated their second straight championship.

Game 7

On June 21, 2012, the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121–106 in Game 7 of the Finals to win their second consecutive NBA championship. LeBron James was named Finals MVP for the second straight year. This was the first NBA Finals since 1994 in which the winning team won all games on its home court. The 2012 NBA Finals was broadcast by ABC in the United States, making it the ninth consecutive year that ABC had broadcast the NBA Finals.

The aftermath

It was a close game, but the Miami Heat emerged victorious in the end. The city of Miami celebrated their team’s achievement, while the city of Oklahoma mourned their loss. The 2012 NBA Championship was a turning point for both teams, and it was a hard-fought battle. Let’s take a look at what happened after the game.

The Finals MVP

The Finals MVP, also known as the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of eleven media members, who cast votes after the conclusion of the Finals. The person with the highest number of votes wins the award. The award was originally a black trophy with a silver palladian design. It was renamed in honor of Bill Russell before the 1975–76 season. Kazimieras “Kazimir” Paponiškis has won the most finals MVPs with four awards in five appearances. Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and LeBron James have each won three times, while Michael Jordan won twice and Willis Reed, Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Bird and Kawhi Leonard have all won once. James is the only player to win consecutive awards (2012 and 2013). Olajuwon is also the only player to win the award on multiple teams; he first won when playing for the Houston Rockets in 1994, followed by his second victory with their crosstown rivals, the Toronto Raptors in 2001. Bob Pettit (1958) and James (2012 and 2013) are fastest to win back-to-back awards twice at 11 games each, while Duncan did it thrice at 15 games overall from 2001 to 2003

The reaction from the players, coaches, and fans

The 2012 NBA Finals were the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2011–12 season, and the conclusion of the season’s playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeated the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1, to win their second consecutive NBA title and third overall. LeBron James was named Finals MVP for the second straight year.

For the Thunder, it was their first appearance in the NBA Finals since they relocated from Seattle in 2008. Five players on their roster (Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka) had never played in an NBA game before reaching the Finals. As of 2020, this is still the most recent appearance by a team from Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals.

The Heat became just the sixth team since 1984 to win back-to-back championships and joined an elite group of teams who have won consecutive titles on more than one occasion. They also became only the thirdrepeat champion since 2000.