NBA News 2012: Champs! James' triple-double lifts Heat to title

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JANUARY 30: Forward LeBron James #6 talks with Dwyane Wade #3 and Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat during play against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Ford Center on January 30, 2011 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Best player in the game. Best team in the league.

LeBron James has found it all since taking his talents to South Beach two summers ago.

Add NBA champion to the list.

''Happiest day of my life,'' he said.

James had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, leading the Heat in a 121-106 rout of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night to win the NBA Finals in five games.

All that was left was a celebration nine years in the making.

''It means everything,'' James said moments after the win, moments before being named the playoffs MVP to go along with his regular-season award. ''I made a difficult decision to leave Cleveland but I understood what my future was about ... I knew we had a bright future (in Miami). This is a dream come true for me. This is definitely when it pays off.''

James left the game along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh for good with 3:01 remaining for a round of hugs and the start for a celebration he's been waiting for since arriving in the NBA out of high school as the No. 1 pick of the 2003 draft. James hopped up and down in the final minutes, shared a long hug with opponent Kevin Durant, and then smiled as he watched the confetti rain down from the rafters.

''It's about damn time. It's about damn time,'' James said.

The Heat took control in the second quarter, briefly lost it and blew the game open again in the third behind their role players, James content to pass to wide-open 3-point shooters while the Thunder focused all their attention on him.

The disappointment of losing to Dallas in six games a year ago vanished in a blowout of the demoralized Thunder, who got 32 points and 11 rebounds from Durant.

Bosh and Wade, the other members of the Big Three who sat alongside James as he promised titles at his Miami welcoming party two summers ago, both had strong games. Bosh, who broke down in tears as the Heat left their own court after losing Game 6 last year, finished with 24 points and Wade scored 20. The Heat also got a huge boost from Mike Miller, who made seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points.

That all made it easier for James, the most heavily scrutinized player in the league since his departure from Cleveland, when he announced he was ''taking his talents to South Beach'' on a TV special called ''The Decision'' that was criticized everywhere from talk shows and water coolers straight to the commissioner's office. James has said he wishes he handled things differently, but few who watched the Cavaliers fail to assemble championship talent around him could have argued with his desire to depart.

He found in Miami a team where he never had to do it alone, though he reminded everyone during this sensational postseason run that he still could when necessary. He got support whenever he needed it in this series, from Shane Battier's 17 points in Game 2 to Mario Chalmers' 25 in Game 4.

In the clincher it was Miller, banged-up from so many injuries that he limped from the bench to scorer's table when he checked in. He made his fourth 3-pointer of the half right before James' fast-break basket capped a 15-2 run that extended Miami's lead to 53-36 with 4:42 remaining in the first half.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/heat-lead-thunder-59-49-022516449--nba.html;_ylt=AjDmeCADhZg.eSL3Sk6c3405nYcB

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NBA News 2012: Thunder waste tons of chances in Game 3 loss

Russell Westbrook dribbling the ball during Oklahoma City Thunder vs Boston Celtics at TD BankNorth Garden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For the next two days, the Oklahoma City Thunder will lament plenty of things.

Missed free throws. More foul trouble. Late-game turnovers. And perhaps above all else, four bad minutes that went a long way to costing them Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.

A 10-point lead coming down the stretch of the third quarter became a two-point deficit entering the fourth, and the Thunder simply couldn't keep overcoming mistakes in what became a 91-85 Heat victory on Sunday night. Miami now leads the best-of-seven championship series 2-1, with Game 4 back on its floor Tuesday night.

''We gave ourself a chance to win. That's what you want to do on the road,'' Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. ''The game was basically anybody's ballgame that fourth quarter.''

True. Except it probably should have not been that way.

Down by eight in the early going, the Thunder clamped down defensively to change the complexion of the evening, taking away the easy paths to the basket that Miami feasted upon in the first half and forcing the Heat to shoot from outside. It simply couldn't have worked better for the Thunder, with Miami missing 11 straight jumpers in one stretch and finishing 5 for 31 on shots taken from outside the paint for the game.

The Heat needed help to win. And the Thunder accommodated them, with mistake after mistake.

''This is not over,'' Thunder guard Kevin Durant said. ''It's not over.''

He repeated the words for emphasis. If the Thunder repeat the mistakes, then it might be over.

''Game 4 is crucial,'' Thunder guard James Harden said. ''It's the series. We don't want to be down 3-1.''

Durant finished with 25 points for the Thunder, who got 19 from Russell Westbrook and 10 points and 12 rebounds from Kendrick Perkins.

LeBron James led everyone with 29 points and 14 rebounds for Miami, which got a 25-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist effort from Dwyane Wade and 10 points and 11 rebounds from Chris Bosh.

''This team is not going away,'' Heat forward Shane Battier said of the Thunder. ''This is an evenly matched series. Literally every game has been decided by four or five possessions. We just want to be on the right side of those possessions when it counts.''

Like they were on Sunday night.

Derek Fisher's four-point play with 4:33 left in the third quarter capped an 18-5 run by the Thunder, who rendered most of the 20,003 people in the building silent during that stretch. Oklahoma City led 64-54, the scoreboard showing those numbers just 68 seconds after Durant went to the bench with four fouls and a mere 28 seconds after Fisher checked in to give Westbrook a rest.

So the best two Oklahoma City players were out of the game.

If the Heat were going to turn things around, it had to be in that moment. This is where that aforementioned help enters the picture. Battier and James Jones scored six Miami points 22 seconds apart - after both got fouled trying 3-pointers, on a night where the Heat could barely make anything from the outside.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/thunder-waste-tons-chances-game-030415538--nba.html;_ylt=An7xzqQjONDtv1wJSSYL5lW8vLYF

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NBA News 2012: On Dwyane Wade’s new secondary role and the Heat structure

Dwyane Wade (Photo credit: Keith Allison)
When the Miami Heat superfriends joined powers in the summer of 2010 and created an otherworldly behemoth of a basketball team (or so we thought), the general assumption was that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade would be co-leaders. As one of the five best players in the league, Wade had earned the right to be the alpha for the team he'd played for the whole career. Much of the criticism levied at LeBron to begin with, apart from that he picked his team in one of the worst ways possible, was that he didn't want to be the clear-cut best player on his team. With Wade, there was to be some question as to who would take on the lead role.

For one season, the Heat struggled to answer that issue, as LeBron and Wade deferred to each other too often and had difficulty working together at times. Now, however, the hierarchy is fairly set. LeBron, who's playing about as well an all-around game as a human being could possibly play in the NBA Finals, is quite clearly the organizer of the Heat, giving each other player in the lineup a role and structure. But in that structure, it's a little unclear how to process the ideal use of Dwyane Wade.

It's not controversial to say that Wade has had an up-and-down playoffs, putting in a few great performances but generally struggling to break opponents down off the dribble and lacking the explosiveness of his past seasons. He's still successful, but he's a different kind of player in this postseason. Though he won't admit it, it's hard to imagine that his knee is in terrific shape. Wade's stats are pretty good — 22.8 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting in the playoffs — but he's not the same player.

But the fact that he's limited has also helped give him a clearer role. Wade is still Wade, in that he's at his best as a versatile scorer. Yet not being able to take over games in the same way as he has in the past has made him pick his spots, which in turn has allowed LeBron to take on a more set role as alpha and provided greater opportunities for players like Chris Bosh, Shane Battier, and Mario Chalmers. Instead of just having more high-end talent, the Heat have structure. In turn, that's made them a more dangerous and confident force.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/dwyane-wade-secondary-role-heat-structure-223500342--nba.html;_ylt=AvoE4ukmEkUZVU.mD4z9nPC8vLYF

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NBA News 2012: Thunder's Russell Westbrook gets fired up after skirmish with Heat's Shane Battier

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JUNE 12: (R-L) Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts alongside Shane Battier #31 of the Miami Heat in the first half in Game One of the 2012 NBA Finals at Chesapeake Energy Arena on June 12, 2012 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
After Game 1 of the NBA Finals ended on a triumphant note for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook was back at it on the fashion scene. He confidently put on red glassless eyeglasses. He sported a busy white Prada shirt that featured people dancing and playing musical instruments, and random cars. He completed the look with a pair of Khaki pants, and red and yellow Balenciaga high top sneakers that sell for about $600.

"You can't get it too many places," a proud Westbrook said about his clothes. "I can't tell you the places where I get my stuff. I shop at a lot of places. I shop all the time."

"Russ" has become one of the NBA's most fun-loving personalities thanks to his ensembles during these playoffs. But an angry Westbrook played an important role in helping lift the initially listless Thunder to a 105-94 victory on Tuesday night over the Miami Heat. Westbrook scored 18 of his 27 points in the second half and nearly had a triple-double with 11 assists and eight rebounds.

Russell Westbrook gets fired up to the chagrin of Shane Battier. (AP)

And all this came after Heat forward Shane Battier got Westbrook mad.

"That's all I need every once in a while. I don't know what he was thinking," Westbrook said. "He was trying to punk me."

A frustrated Westbrook had nine points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field and missed both 3-point attempts while dishing six assists in the first half. Perhaps he spent precious energy in a dance routine, moving furiously during the pregame introductions. The Thunder followed Westbrook's lackluster lead despite Kevin Durant's solid start (13 first-half points). Miami was certainly in control as it owned a lead as large as 13 points before walking into the locker room at halftime up 54-47.

"I needed something. We needed something," Westbrook said.

Westbrook finally got that something when he drove hard for a shifty lay-in with 31.4 seconds left before the half. Westbrook and Battier then got testy after getting tangled. Westbrook swung his arm in retaliation and received a technical and personal foul; Battier was also given a technical.

Suddenly, the nice guy was gone in an Incredible Hulk second as he walked toward the crowd and screamed with a wild look in his eye. Westbrook also fired up the Thunder faithful, who roared back in appreciation.

"Just frustrated in myself," Westbrook said. "I know I could have played harder. And our coaching staff and other guys on the team just emphasized once I started playing harder everybody else would follow. And that's my job."

Oklahoma City chipped away in the third quarter before finally taking its first lead, 74-73, after a three-point play by Westbrook with 16.4 seconds remaining. He earned 12 points and three rebounds in playing the entire quarter.

The Thunder never relinquished the lead as Westbrook and Durant combined to play better offensively than the Heat. The duo put up 41 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the second half while Miami had 40 points, 15 rebounds and six assists as a team.

The Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook duo is undefeated at home in this season's playoffs. (Reuters)

"Those two are All-Stars for a reason," LeBron James said. "You can't stop them. You just try to limit them. And Russ made some big plays late. But I think we can live with him shooting 10-of-24 from the field."

Westbrook actually shot 7-of-14 from the field in the second half after Battier revved him up.

"It's a game where everybody has to chip in," said Durant, who finished with a game-high 36 points.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--thunder-s-russell-westbrook-gets-fired-up-after-skirmish-with-heat-s-shane-battier.html;_ylt=AmfEjVCmULryTwm8cFJA8pq8vLYF

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Stock News 2012: Thunder rally past Heat to win Game 1

Russell Westbrook dribbling the ball during Oklahoma City Thunder vs Boston Celtics at TD BankNorth Garden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Kevin Durant continued his torrid march through the NBA playoffs, carrying the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Miami Heat in the opener of the Finals on Tuesday night.

Durant rallied the Thunder after they lost the first two games of the Western Conference finals to the San Antonio Spurs and he brought them back against the Heat in Game 1 of the Finals, scoring 17 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter. The Heat led by as many as 13 in the first half, but couldn't hold back the young Thunder after halftime. Russell Westbrook scored 18 of his 27 points after halftime.

LeBron James led the Heat with 30 points, but it wasn't enough to keep the Thunder at bay. Not with the other two members of the Heat's Big Three struggling. Dwyane Wade missed 12 of 19 shots and Chris Bosh missed seven of 11.

The Thunder didn't take their first lead until less than 15 seconds remained in the third quarter. Westbrook, who struggled in the first half, sparked the surge, scoring 12 points in the quarter. To a man, the Thunder picked up their aggression in the second half.

The Heat were expected to get strong play from their small forward. And they did initially – from Shane Battier, not James.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra kept Battier in the starting lineup over Chris Bosh, despite Bosh's strong play at the end of the Eastern Conference finals. The move paid off early: Battier made three 3-pointers in the opening quarter. Heat guard Mario Chalmers also hit a pair in the quarter to help stake the Heat to a 29-22 lead.

Thunder coach Scott Brooks had worked to treat his team's preparation just like any other week in the playoffs – even if he knew that wasn't true.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--thunder-rally-past-heat-to-win-game-1.html;_ylt=AoXTX2yMUme6HSmvRyth27q8vLYF

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NBA News 2011: Marc Gasol Off The Market?

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
The Grizzlies are finally stepping up to the plate, first by overpaying Rudy Gay to make sure he stayed in town, and more recently by inking Zach Randolph to a contract extension. Randolph was understandably concerned about what the might be on the horizon for his team before he committed the bulk of his prime to Memphis, and he liked what he heard. First and foremost, his front court mate - Marc Gasol - is expected to be re-signed, as well.

"It feels good to know I'm going to be in Memphis for another four years. It feels real good. A little bit at the beginning of the year I was distracted by it (the lack of a new contract). I put it out of my mind about halfway through the season. I haven't been thinking about it lately until now. I'm glad that it's done and I'm staying here. But I definitely want Marc here with us."

It is precisely the front court pairing of Randolph and Gasol that has made Memphis a tough customer all season. Even as they've dealt with injuries at other positions, the fact that they have two big men who patrol the paint and puts points and rebounds on the board in bunches has helped them stay in the playoff chase. The two combined for 49 points and 23 rebounds in Game 1 in San Antonio, which the Grizzlies won 101-98.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?STORY_ID=19486

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NBA News 2010: Grizzlies Max Out Rudy Gay

Image via WikipediaRudy Gay was one of the most celebrated members of the 2006 NBA Draft class, but he fell to eighth overall and was traded by the Rockets to Memphis in a deal for Shane Battier.
He had a true breakout season in 07-08, his second in the NBA, but he has since struggled to improve in any meaningful way.
We knew Gay would be a beneficiary of being a restricted free agent this summer by piggy-backing off the heralded true max players in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, etc., but few could predict his max contract would come from his incumbent team on the first day of free agency.
The strategy when dealing with your own RFAs is to stall and threaten to match anything, which handcuffs the player and his agent. It is a strategy that worked a few summers ago for the Hawks with Josh Smith and also last season with David Lee and the Knicks.
There is no conceivable benefit for the Grizzlies to offer a full max to Gay unless he was a special circumstances player such as Kevin Durant or even his draft classmate Brandon Roy.
Over the life of the extension, Gay will make $25M more than Rajon Rondo, who agreed to an extension with the Celtics several months ago before ever hitting the open market.
He is uber-athletic and won't turn 24 until August, meaning he has room to improve still and the Grizzlies have bought his entire prime with a few seasons to spare.
Gay has improved his mid-range jumper substantially since coming into the NBA, as well as his defense. On good nights, he looks like an All-Star but he still struggles with his consistency.
His PER of 16.3 ranks him about 10th amongst NBA small forwards and he's probably a little better than that. The position is fairly weak right now once you get past the holy trinity of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. I would put Danny Granger ahead of him as well and probably Gerald Wallace, and while Nicolas Batum might surpass him, that's a big question mark. Paul Pierce is beyond his prime obviously and I don't think Luol Deng is as good as him and is trending downwards. At the very worst, Gay is a top-8 small forward right now.
There are certain teams where Gay might be worth an $80M contract, an up-tempo team with a legitimate alpha scorer, but it is hard to see how he can be worth that much to Memphis. He is easily at his best offensively in transition, where he can use his athleticism and strong all-around game.
Max players should be All-Stars every single season and Rudy Gay is not one of those players.
Grade for Grizzlies: C-
There was an excellent chance that Gay would end up signing a max contract this summer, so credit must be given to Jeff Austin and Octagon for making it happen so swiftly.
In a few months, and particularly after the new CBA, this deal may look absolutely dreadful and he probably won't finish the contract in Memphis.
Grade for Rudy Gay: B+
http://grizzlies.realgm.com/articles/55/20100702/grading_the_deal_grizzlies_max_out_rudy_gay/

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