NBA Finals 2013 Game 7: LeBron James stars as Miami clinches second title

The knee that was surgically repaired over the summer swelled up like a “coconut” after Game 6 and Wade needed three hours of treatment in the morning and another four-and-a-half hours leading into the decisive game. Wade went on to score 23 points while hitting 11-of-21 shots.

The left knee might not have been the biggest issue, however.

Now that the season is over, we can peer into the crystal ball and examine what’s next for these two teams.

Duncan was asked after the game if he’ll be back for next season, and responded in a typically abrupt and salty fashion the Spurs have made a calling card. Duncan said he’s still under contract for next season so he plans on returning to the Spurs and again chasing his fifth title.

Wade played about as well as anybody could’ve asked in Game 7. Sure, his presence on the floor still allowed the Spurs to pack the paint, and he sometimes seemed hampered by the knee. At several points, he found himself clutched over in pain, once literally crawling across the court trying to catch up to a lead pass.

But he had 23 points to go along with ten rebounds, hitting mid-range jumpers and finishing deftly in the paint with both hands. He came through in the clutch. In his first 19 games of the postseason, he only hit 20 points twice, with only one double-double. In the final four games, he cleared 30 points and hit 20 on two other occasions while recording a pair of double-doubles.

Spurs blog Pounding the Rock has provided excellent coverage of the team for the entire season, so of course their initial reaction piece provided a pitch-perfect response to a difficult situation:

The Spurs still have plenty of terrific players on their roster, and the emergence of Kawhi Leonard is the brightest beacon of hope for San Antonio fans hoping for another run at a title in 2013-14:

Imagine how many other athletes are held to such a high standard, where reaching the Finals in three straight years proves an afterthought to the subsequent failure once there. And yet, with that pressure mounting and the world penning a story of LeBron, the champion who wasn’t, Miami did what it usually does.

The Heat won. Again. Because that’s what great teams do.

After facing so much criticism for his past playoff failures, LeBron James has led the Miami Heat to two-straight championships and has them on the verge of a dynasty.

While James wasn’t always at his best throughout the postseason and had some especially rough stretches in the Finals, he rose to the occasion when it mattered most and brought another title to Miami. And now he can also cross “Winning an NBA Finals Game 7” off his bucket list after a 37-point, 13-rebound effort.

After the game, James took to the podium to reflected on his extraordinary stretch.

“Last year when I was sitting up here with my first title, I said it was the toughest thing I’ve ever done,” said James. “This year I would say (I) was absolutely wrong. This was the toughest title among the two. We were down every series. We were able to take a lead and then we’d be down again. We were scratching for our lives in Game 6 down five with 28 seconds to go. It’s a true test of our perseverance.”

The parade is expected to go through downtown Miami and end with a rally inside AmericanAirlines Arena. The rally will be a ticketed event.

More details are expected to be released Friday afternoon.

“My name is Three, not Dwyane. Alright, thank you,” Wade informed South Beach.

The man meant it. The first reporter up to bat with Wade opened up his question without referring to him as “Three.”

Duncan was so tired he didn’t even appear to understand the reporter’s line of questioning. Here’s the exact sequence:

Reporter: “I know this is early, but are you definitely back? Do you expect most of your core guys to be back?”

“Hey Dwyane, you got a little something on your face. Here, I’ll help you wash it off.”

After a complete slugfest of an NBA Finals, one of the best championship series any of us have ever seen, the two teams showed a mutual respect, hugging it out after the Miami Heat earned their second straight title.

And then with Tim Duncan, who had 24 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort.

To be fair, it didn’t really look like a foul, but Bosh is 0-for-5 from the field with zero points. Although he’s played pretty solid defense on Tim Duncan, this was his fifth foul.

His night has come a long way since he did this earlier.

“Crawling death machine”

“He was crawling in the dark, looking for the answer”

Mario was having a bit of a Wario game -- after this he had 12 points on 13 shots, this was his first three -- but this kinda redeems it?

I’ll just go back to hyperventilating because these teams are pretty much tied with 12 minutes to go for the NBA title

• David Stern will veto any trade for Doc Rivers

• SB Nation’s blogger mock draft

Oh. Ok, Bill.

Is this guy a superfan? A superhero? The devil? He can’t decide. But he’s pretty excited.

Dude in the sailor shirt is bemused.

James’ unbelievable transition layup after taking contact and barely getting the ball up from under the rim is the standout play from the first half of Game 7:

James has a game-high 15 points. Wade scored 14 points and was active on the glass, grabbing six rebounds.

Both teams struggled to score in the first quarter. Miami shot only 36 percent and turned the ball over four times. The Spurs shot even worse, at 31 percent, and had two turnovers of their own.

• Game 7 preview: Sleep is for suckers

He’d wear his Steph Curry jersey. That way Pop could piece it all together. “Wait, is that? No, it couldn’t be,” Pop would think. And then he’d accept the truth. No longer would Pop address reporters without consequences.

Steve planned to wait until later in the game, but early in the first quarter his moment presented itself. During a slight lull, Steve stood, cupped his hand, and shouted: