Originally posted by LARY
Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and the Spurs, a.k.a. the LeBron Bowl, a.k.a. the Rumble in the Swampland, started off with tight play and superb defense. Chris Bosh picked up right where he left off from Game 6 with a monster block in the first quarter. Both teams started slowly, but LeBron’s jumper was working the whole game, the Spurs’ strategy seemed to be to back away from him to keep him from driving and he finished with 37 points. Dwyane Wade led all scorers at the half with 14 points, two from this sweet pivot and spin, and Miami led by two. Offense was still somewhat hard to come by in the third quarter, though an acrobatic drive by Kawhi Leonard proved it was possible. Leonard ended the game with 16 rebounds. Mario Chalmers’ buzzer-beater ended the third and put Miami up by one entering the final 12. But Game 7, as we all hoped it would, came down to the final minute. Down by two points after Manu Ginobili and Shane Battier had exchanged clutch 3-pointers, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan had not one but two clear looks at the rim and couldn’t put it in. Finals MVP James then came down and sank this dagger as Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard got mixed up on D at the worst possible time. That put the Heat up by four and the Spurs never came close after that. The NBA season, pushed to its furthest reaches, finally came to a close with a second-straight title for Miami.