2012 NBA Finals
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Dates | June 12–21 | |||||||||
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Western Finals | Thunder defeated Spurs, 4–2 | |||||||||
The 2012 NBA Finals was the
Led by the "
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Miami Heat
This was the second consecutive appearance for the Heat, after losing to the
In the regular season, the Heat finished with 46 wins, earning the second seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round, they defeated the
The 2011–2012 Miami Heat included several new players that had not played for the team during its 2011 Finals run, including Shane Battier,
Oklahoma City Thunder
This was the Thunder's first NBA Finals appearance since the team relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008. Including their seasons as the Seattle SuperSonics, this was also the club's fourth Finals appearance, and first since 1996, when they lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. The team was seeking their first NBA championship since 1979.[10]
The Thunder finished with 47 wins, placing them as the second seed in the Western Conference. During the playoffs, they defeated the last three Western Conference Finalists in sequential order. First, they dethroned the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in a 4–0 first round sweep. Next, they dispatched the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference semifinals 4–1. Then, in the Western Conference Finals, they defeated the top seeded San Antonio Spurs 4–2, despite losing the first two games, snapping San Antonio’s 20 game winning streak in the process.[10]
The Thunder entered the Finals as the second-youngest finalists in NBA history.[11] In addition, Daequan Cook faced the team that traded him to the Thunder in 2010.
Road to the Finals
Oklahoma City Thunder (Western Conference champion) | Miami Heat (Eastern Conference champion) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regular season |
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Defeated the 7th seeded 4–0
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First round | Defeated the 7th seeded 4–1
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Defeated the 3rd seeded 4–1
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Conference Semifinals | Defeated the 3rd seeded 4–2
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Defeated the 1st seeded 4–2
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Conference Finals | Defeated the 4th seeded 4–3
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Regular season series
The season series was tied, 1–1, with both teams winning at their home floor.
Series summary
Game | Date | Road team | Result | Home team |
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Game 1 | June 12 | Miami Heat | 94–105 (0–1) | Oklahoma City Thunder |
Game 2 | June 14 | Miami Heat | 100–96 (1–1) | Oklahoma City Thunder |
Game 3 | June 17 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 85–91 (1–2) | Miami Heat |
Game 4 | June 19 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 98–104 (1–3) | Miami Heat |
Game 5 | June 21 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 106–121 (1–4) | Miami Heat |
Game summaries
- All times are in UTC−4)[12]
Game 1
June 12
9:00 pm |
Miami Heat 94, Oklahoma City Thunder 105 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 25–25, 19–27, 21–31 | ||
8 | Pts: Kevin Durant 36 Rebs: Nick Collison 10 Asts: Russell Westbrook 11 | |
Oklahoma City leads series, 1–0 |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees:
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The Thunder defeated the Heat, 105–94, in Game 1. Miami held the lead for most of the first three quarters, including a 13-point lead at one point during the second quarter. The Heat made five three-pointers to jump to a 29–22 lead by the end of the first quarter, but Oklahoma City kept on pace with Miami to keep the score at 54–47 by halftime. The Thunder then took the lead for good with 16 seconds left in the third quarter after Russell Westbrook made a free throw to make it 74–73. Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 36 points, while Westbrook had 27. LeBron James led the Heat with 30 points, but was held to one basket during the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter.[13]
Game 2
June 14
9:00 pm |
Miami Heat 100, Oklahoma City Thunder 96 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 27–15, 28–28, 23–24, 22–29 | ||
5 each | Pts: Kevin Durant 32 Rebs: Perkins, Westbrook 8 each Asts: Russell Westbrook 7 | |
Series tied, 1–1 |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees:
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The Heat defeated the Thunder 100–96 in Game 2, tying the series at one game a piece and giving the Thunder their first home playoff loss of the season. Miami never trailed, building a 27–15 first quarter lead, and holding a 17-point advantage at one point. The Thunder attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter, and with 37 seconds left in the game, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant made a three-pointer to cut the deficit, 98–96. Durant would miss a game-tying jumper in the closing seconds as Miami held off Oklahoma City for the Game 2 win. The play did not come without controversy however as many observers had felt that James had fouled Durant on the right hip during the shot, a potential sixth foul that would have taken the Heat superstar out of the game in the process.[14] LeBron James led the Heat with 32 points, while Durant scored 32 of his own to lead the Thunder.[15]
Game 3
June 17
8:00 pm |
Oklahoma City Thunder 85, Miami Heat 91 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 26–21, 21–22, 18–22 | ||
6 | Pts: LeBron James 29 Rebs: LeBron James 14 Asts: Dwyane Wade 7 | |
Miami leads series, 2–1 |
Miami won Game 3, 91–85, to go up two games to one in the series. Miami had a slim 47–46 halftime lead before Oklahoma City began the third quarter with a 10–4 run, eventually building a 10-point lead midway through the period. However, Miami scored the last seven points in the third quarter to regain the lead at 69–67. With 7:36 remaining in the game, the Thunder came back to retake the lead at 77–76, but the Heat then scored eight unanswered points to build an 84–77 advantage with 3:47 left. A 6–0 run by Oklahoma City pulled them within one point of Miami with 90 seconds left, but the Thunder could not score again for the rest of the game while the Heat made five insurance free throws. LeBron James led the Heat with 29 points and 14 rebounds, while Kevin Durant scored 25 points to lead the Thunder.[16]
Game 4
June 19
9:00 pm |
Oklahoma City Thunder 98, Miami Heat 104 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 33–19, 16–27, 26–33, 23–25 | ||
5 | Pts: LeBron James 26 Rebs: Bosh, James 9 each Asts: LeBron James 12 | |
Miami leads series, 3–1 |
Miami, Florida Attendance: 20,003 Referees:
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Miami won Game 4, 104–98, to go up three games to one in the series. The Thunder jumped to a 33–19 lead by the end the first quarter, but the Heat rallied to cut the score to 49–46 at halftime, thanks to two huge three-pointers by Heat rookie
Game 5
June 21
9:00 pm |
Oklahoma City Thunder 106, Miami Heat 121 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 23–28, 22–36, 35–26 | ||
6 | Pts: LeBron James 26 Rebs: LeBron James 11 Asts: LeBron James 13 | |
Miami wins NBA Finals, 4–1 |
Miami, Florida Attendance: 20,003 Referees:
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Miami won Game 5, 121–106, to win the series, four games to one.
Rosters
Miami Heat
2011–12 Miami Heat roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Oklahoma City Thunder
2011–12 Oklahoma City Thunder roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Player statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game
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- Miami Heat
Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
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Joel Anthony | 1 | 0 | 2.1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Shane Battier | 5 | 5 | 37.5 | .613 | .577 | .714 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 11.6 |
Chris Bosh | 5 | 4 | 36.6 | .452 | .400 | .882 | 9.4 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 14.6 |
Mario Chalmers | 5 | 5 | 36.5 | .442 | .348 | .857 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 10.4 |
Norris Cole |
4 | 0 | 11.0 | .333 | .429 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.3 |
Terrel Harris | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .750 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
Udonis Haslem | 5 | 1 | 16.3 | .400 | .000 | .833 | 4.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 2.6 |
Juwan Howard | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
LeBron James | 5 | 5 | 44.1 | .472 | .188 | .826 | 10.2 | 7.4 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 28.6 |
James Jones |
4 | 0 | 10.7 | .500 | .400 | 1.000 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.8 |
Mike Miller |
5 | 0 | 8.9 | .563 | .636 | 1.000 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 6.2 |
Ronny Turiaf | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Dwyane Wade | 5 | 5 | 40.6 | .435 | .400 | .775 | 6.0 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 22.6 |
- Oklahoma City Thunder
Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
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Cole Aldrich | 1 | 0 | 4.7 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
Nick Collison | 5 | 0 | 16.6 | .600 | .000 | .000 | 4.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 3.6 |
Daequan Cook | 3 | 0 | 3.5 | .333 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
Kevin Durant | 5 | 5 | 42.6 | .548 | .394 | .839 | 6.0 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 30.6 |
Derek Fisher | 5 | 0 | 25.6 | .423 | .357 | 1.000 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 5.6 |
James Harden | 5 | 0 | 32.8 | .375 | .318 | .792 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 12.4 |
Lazar Hayward | 1 | 0 | 4.7 | .500 | .000 | .000 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
Serge Ibaka | 5 | 5 | 26.3 | .424 | .000 | .636 | 5.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 7.0 |
Royal Ivey | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.0 |
Kendrick Perkins | 5 | 5 | 23.2 | .429 | .000 | .750 | 6.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 4.8 |
Thabo Sefolosha | 5 | 5 | 25.9 | .296 | .182 | .833 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 4.6 |
Russell Westbrook | 5 | 5 | 42.3 | .433 | .136 | .824 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 27.0 |
Broadcast
In the United States, the NBA Finals aired on ABC and
Game | Ratings (households) |
Share (households) |
American audience (in millions) |
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1[20] | 9.9 | 16 | 16.195 |
2[20] | 10.4 | 18 | 16.670 |
3[20] | 8.8 | 15 | 15.549 |
4[21] | 10.5 | 17 | 17.455 |
5[21] | 10.9 | 18 | 18.461 |
References
- ^ "Top Moments: LeBron James wins his first championship in 2012". NBA.com. September 14, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "LeBron's triple-double clinches 2012 Finals MVP". ESPN.com. June 22, 2012.
- ^ Whitley, David (June 10, 2012). "Miami Heat's second-straight NBA Finals appearance not enough to remove doubt around LeBron James". Sporting News. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ "Pat Riley: The Miami Years". ESPN. June 21, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ Hawkins, Mark (June 11, 2012). "Miami Heat's Road to the 2012 NBA Finals: Fan's Take". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ Brian, Windhorst (December 8, 2011). "Shane Battier to sign with Heat". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ Wallace, Michael (December 10, 2011). "Eddy Curry signs with Miami Heat". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ "Ronny Turiaf signs with Heat". ESPN. Associated Press. March 21, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ Haberstroh, Tom (April 9, 2012). "The rise and fall of rookie Norris Cole". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ a b Hawkins, Mark (June 10, 2012). "Oklahoma City Thunder's Road to the 2012 NBA Finals: Fan's Take". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ Sherman, Mike (June 18, 2012). "NBA Finals: Thunder has overcome much, but it must now overcome doubt". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ "Bizball: NBA Releases Finals Schedule". Forbes. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
- ^ "Kevin Durant, Thunder pull away from Heat, win Game 1". ESPN. Associated Press. June 12, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ "NBA Finals Heat-Thunder Game 2 Video: The controversial ending to a classic Game 2".
- ^ "LeBron James, Heat hold off Thunder, knot NBA Finals at 1–1". ESPN. Associated Press. June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
- ^ "LeBron James leads way with 29 points, 14 boards as Heat go up 2–1". ESPN. Associated Press. June 17, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
- ^ "Heat overcome Russell Westbrook's 43 points, take 3–1 Finals lead". ESPN. Associated Press. June 19, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
- ^ a b c d ESPN. "LeBron James, Heat dominate Thunder to win NBA championship". Retrieved June 22, 2012.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 10, 2012). "NBA Finals Tip Off Tuesday on ABC & ESPN Radio". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
- ^ a b c Kondolojy, Amanda (June 19, 2012). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: NBA Finals Top Week 39 Viewing". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ a b Bibel, Sarah (June 26, 2012). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: NBA Finals Top Week 40 Viewing". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
External links
- Official website of the 2012 NBA Finals
- 2012 NBA Finals at ESPN
- 2012 NBA Finals at Basketball-Reference.com