NBA champs

It was everything

everyone could have possibly imagined.

Taught.

Tense.

Well played.

Dramatic.

And the winner of the 2013 NBA championship may well be the game itself.

LeBron James, perhaps forever silencing critics of his big-game ability, poured in 37 points, a delightful night in the most dire of circumstances, as the Miami Heat won their second consecutive NBA title, beating the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 before a delirious crowd at the American Airlines Arena.

James made five three-pointers en route to his series MVP-winning night, taking advantage of every opportunity the Spurs gave him to nail jump shots.

But aside from that sublime performance, the game did not disappoint after the excitement and brilliance of the Game 6 overtime affair.

Neither team led by more than seven points the entire night, there were great shots, great gaffes and great drama; there was nothing close to a letdown at the end of a terrific championship series.

And James and San Antonio’s Tim Duncan were at the heart of the game-ending drama.

Duncan, chasing the fifth ring of his illustrious career, missed two easy shots with about 42 seconds left that would have tied the game and James, capping a brilliant 37-point evening, hit a 19-footer on the ensuing possession to put the Heat up by four.One final Manu Ginobili turnover and two more James free throws iced the night for the Heat.

Duncan, the 37-year-old Spurs icon, had 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead San Antonio in its failed bid for a fifth championship in franchise history.

Dwyane Wade added 23 for the Heat, who have now won two championships in the era of The Big Three. Chris Bosh, the nominal third in that Big Three, was scoreless in 28 minutes of Game 7.

The tension of the moment — it was just the third Game 7 in an NBA final since 1984 — was apparent most of the night.

It wasn’t that the teams played scared, it was more that they were being careful, fully aware that one big run could have put the game out of reach.

There were more than the usual number of turnovers in the first half — the Spurs had eight, the Heat had six — and the teams combined to shoot just 33-for-84 from the floor as Miami took a 46-44 lead into the intermission.

Wade, who will tell you at every opportunity that he’s playing on sore knees, had 14 of his points for the Heat while Shane Battier came off the bench to knock down three three-pointers.

The Spurs, meanwhile, were once again frustrated at the three-point line, making just 2-of-7 attempts. Miami’s ability and willingness to stay home on shooters paid off as Danny Green, so important in the first five games, was a non-factor in the first.

But the overall tone of the game was caution, all the talk about treating it like just another game was disproved.

“We’re not going to over-dramatize anything,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of his pre-game preparation and the way he’d approach any motivational talks with his team. “We’ll go through our normal routine and get ready. The guys are looking forward to this game.

“We’ve been in these situations. It doesn’t guarantee anything. But playing here at home, our guys are very excited about this opportunity. I know they don’t take it for granted.”

The Spurs, meanwhile, showed no real after effects of a mind-numbing Game 6 loss where they blew a five-point lead less than 30 seconds from a championship.

A veteran team knew how to handle that anguish.

“That was a devastating loss. To say anything less than that would be disingenuous,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “One rebound or the next rebound or make a free throw and the game is over. That’s a pretty devastating situation.

“So from the minute we left the arena it was about mental recovery more than anything, and putting things in perspective, getting to the point where you slap yourself and you don’t cry about it and pity yourself and move on and realize that somehow or other you earned two chances to win one game to be NBA champions. That’s pretty cool to have that opportunity.”

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