Miami beat Oklahoma City 121-106 to clinch title

(Reuters) – The Miami Heat demolished the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 yesterday to win the National Basketball Association championship 4-1, sweeping the last four games of the series.

Miami Heat’s LeBron James (L) hugs teammate Dwyane Wade near the end of Game 5 of the NBA basketball finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Miami, Florida last night. REUTERS/Mike Segar

LeBron James led an outstanding team effort with a brilliant all-round game, grabbing a triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds and a game-high 13 assists.

Six Heat players scored in double figures, including Chris Bosh with 24 and reserve Mike Miller with 23, who went 7-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc in a spectacular shooting display for the Heat. Miami pulled away in the third quarter when they ran off 16 points in a row to build a 25-point lead and send the raucous standing-room AmericanAirlines Arena crowd into an early celebration.

NBA great Bill Russell (L) prepares to present the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy to Miami Heat’s LeBron James (C) after Game 5 of the NBA basketball finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Miami, Florida last night. REUTERS/Andrew Innerarity

It was Miami’s second NBA title following a 2006 triumph and the first for three-times league Most Valuable Player James, who finally realized his dream of winning a championship ring in his third trip to an NBA Finals.

Three-times NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant led the young Thunder team with 32 points with Russell Westbrook and James Harden adding 19 points for the losers.