Miami Heat’s LeBron James (6) takes the ball down court against the San Antonio Spurs during Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships in Miami in this June 20, 2013 file photo.MIAMI – LeBron James can rest as long as he wants.
He’s now a two-time NBA champion – and a two-time Finals MVP.
After two years of almost-constant basketball, James still found a way to be at his absolute best in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. He scored 37 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and simply controlled everything down the stretch, as the Heat won the title with a 95-88 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
Two days after helping the Heat survive a wild Game 6 in overtime, James’ final numbers went like this: 12 for 23 from the field, 5 for 10 from 3-point range, 8 for 8 from the line.
And in a season where he was the league’s MVP for a fourth time, he’s now added a second ring to the collection. Suddenly, his resume is looking as complete as some of the other all-time greats. Nor should he. Here’s a club: He joined Michael Jordan and Bill Russell as the only players in league history to win back-to-back Finals MVP and regular-season MVP awards.