The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade holds the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy and LeBron James holds his most valuable player trophy after Game 5 of the NBA finals
MIAMI, FL -
When speaking about his oft-criticized and overanalyzed star, LeBron James, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has a line: You can't win unless you win.
James won in every conceivable way Thursday as his Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-106, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win James's first NBA title, erasing nine years of doubts and disappointment.
The man dubbed "The King" in high school finally had his coronation, and while the game will go down in history as James's vindication party, it will not be remembered as particularly dramatic.
The Heat led by 24 points after three quarters and were never threatened. Despite the fact that this was a mere formality -- the Heat had a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and frankly, the Heat were expected to win the title due to their talent -- the mood among the team, especially James, was giddiness and joy.
Drenched in champagne, he could not stop smiling. In the packed, alcohol-soaked locker room, he became separated from his Finals MVP trophy and immediately started hollering that he needed to hold it again. It is apparently good to be King.
For the Heat, this is the reward for an impossibly wacky two years that began in the summer of 2010, when it became possibly the most disliked team in sports after James ditched the Cleveland Cavaliers to team up with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to form a megateam in South Florida. In a twist, Thursday's win didn't look like the superstar circus the team usually looks like: Sharpshooter Mike Miller, a role player with a bad back, made seven 3-pointers to score 23. Bosh had 24, and Wade added 20.
The players, wearing white championship T-shirts, spoke of the evolution of an often-clumsy team that struggled to mesh and sometimes played out like a bad novel.
"I know I'm playing with the best player in the world and that doesn't take anything away from me at all," Wade said. "It was hard for me to do it, and no one would understand, but it was easy for me to do it for this team."
That didn't come easily last year when the Heat made the Finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks in one of the biggest flops in recent NBA history. Wade said he saw the team's stars "not wanting to step on each other" while James saw what he had to improve on -- namely, everything.
"[Losing last year] was the best thing that ever happened to me in my career," James said. "Because basically, I got back to the basics, it humbled me, and I knew what it was going to take and I was hoping to have to change as a basketball player and change as a person to get what I wanted."
Saturday, May 18 2013 9:43 PM EDT2013-05-19 01:43:03 GMT
RICHARD ROSENBLATT, AP Sports Writer BALTIMORE (AP) — Right from the start, a horse trained by one not so over-the-hill Hall of Famer and ridden by another took control of the Preakness. The result:
RICHARD ROSENBLATT, AP Sports Writer BALTIMORE (AP) — Right from the start, a horse trained by one not so over-the-hill Hall of Famer and ridden by another took control of the Preakness. The result:
Saturday, May 18 2013 5:55 PM EDT2013-05-18 21:55:54 GMT
Robinson Cano hit a pair of two-run homers to back a solid effort by David Phelps, and New York beat the Toronto Blue Jays for the ninth straight time at Yankee Stadium, 7-2 Saturday.
Robinson Cano hit a pair of two-run homers to back a solid effort by David Phelps, and New York beat the Toronto Blue Jays for the ninth straight time at Yankee Stadium, 7-2 Saturday.
By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Former U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi has died just 12 days after he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He was 82.
By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Ken Venturi, who overcame dehydration to win the 1964 U.S. Open and spent 35 years in the booth for CBS Sports, died Friday afternoon. He was 82.
Hiroki Kuroda pitched two-hit ball for eight dominant innings and the New York Yankees again beat Mark Buehrle and the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-0 on Friday night.
Hiroki Kuroda pitched two-hit ball for eight dominant innings and the New York Yankees again beat Mark Buehrle and the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-0 on Friday night.
Friday, May 17 2013 8:53 PM EDT2013-05-18 00:53:52 GMT
The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority has approved the master plan for the American Dream megamall in the Meadowlands sports complex. The approval at Friday's special board meeting means the
The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority has approved the master plan for the American Dream megamall in the Meadowlands sports complex. The approval at Friday's special board meeting means the
Friday, May 17 2013 5:54 PM EDT2013-05-17 21:54:45 GMT
The big game will be played in New Jersey but the big party will be in New York City. Organizers call it "Super Bowl Boulevard."
The big game will be played in New Jersey but the big party will be in New York City. Organizers call it "Super Bowl Boulevard": it will stretch from 44th Street on Broadway all the way to 34th Street.
Saturday, May 18 2013 9:07 PM EDT2013-05-19 01:07:42 GMT
Police says a gay man was shot and killed in Greenwich Village after a man with a gun shouted homophobic slurs at him early Saturday morning. According to authorities, the 32-year-old victim was shot
Police says a gay man was shot and killed in Greenwich Village after a man with a gun shouted homophobic slurs at him early Saturday morning. According to authorities, the 32-year-old victim was shot
Saturday, May 18 2013 8:33 PM EDT2013-05-19 00:33:09 GMT
A 12-year-old boy was shot and killed and his father was wounded on a Jersey City street Friday night. Police say Gywan Levine Jr. and his father, Gywan Levine Sr., were walking on Rutgers Avenue
A 12-year-old boy was shot and killed and his father was wounded on a Jersey City street Friday night. Police say Gywan Levine Jr. and his father, Gywan Levine Sr., were walking on Rutgers Avenue
Saturday, May 18 2013 6:52 PM EDT2013-05-18 22:52:45 GMT
A large crowd of supporters in the Bronx joined the parents of a slain teen to protest a judge's ruling Saturday. Constance Malcolm and Francelot Graham whose son Ramarley was killed back in February
A large crowd of supporters in the Bronx joined the parents of a slain teen to protest a judge's ruling Saturday. Constance Malcolm and Francelot Graham whose son Ramarley was killed back in February
Saturday, May 18 2013 4:03 PM EDT2013-05-18 20:03:41 GMT
Officials in Connecticut say it was amazing that there were no fatalities or more injuries after two Metro-North trains collided around 6 p.m. in Fairfield Friday evening.
Officials in Connecticut say it was amazing that there were no fatalities or more injuries after two Metro-North trains collided around 6 p.m. in Fairfield Friday evening.
Saturday, May 18 2013 7:49 AM EDT2013-05-18 11:49:20 GMT
An airline official says a US Airways flight with 34 people aboard was forced to make a belly landing at Newark International Airport after experiencing landing gear trouble. No injuries were reported.
An airline official says a US Airways flight with 34 people aboard was forced to make a belly landing at Newark International Airport after experiencing landing gear trouble. No injuries were reported.
Friday, May 17 2013 9:12 PM EDT2013-05-18 01:12:56 GMT
A welcome sight in Coney Island: workers cleaning umbrellas, wiping down counters, and putting the finishing touches on a rebuilt Original Nathan's Famous.
A welcome sight in Coney Island: workers cleaning umbrellas, wiping down counters, and putting the finishing touches on a rebuilt Original Nathan's Famous.
The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade holds the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy and LeBron James holds his most valuable player trophy after Game 5 of the NBA finals
