With the game ball safely tucked under his arm, Kyrie Irving stood under the basket and accepted congratulations from awed teammates following a performance...
MIAMI (AP) — Finally, the NBA playoffs are set.
It took the entire season to fill out those brackets.
Overtime thrillers in Memphis and Charlotte, a...
Miami Heat fans celebrate the Championship after the Heat's win against the San Antonio Spurs after the Game 7 of the NBA final basketball series in Miami on Friday, June 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano) by David Fischer and Christine Amario MIAMI (AP) — Miami Heat fans pumped fists jubilantly, uncorked champagne bottles and swarmed into the streets by the thousands to celebrate overnight after their team captured its second straight NBA title. "The Heat they did it again! Best team in the world!" one fan shouted. Others chanted raucously: "Let's go Heat! Let's go Heat!" The street celebration erupted in the closing seconds of the Heat's 95-88 win over the San Antonio Spurs. It was a winner-takes-all final game that brought fans streaming into the area around the AmericanAirlines Arena to exchange high-fives, blow whistles and scream themselves hoarse.
Miami Heat players including LeBron James, top center, celebrate after Game 7 of the NBA basketball championship game against the San Antonio Spurs, Friday, June 21, 2013, in Miami. The Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win their second straight NBA championship. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) by Brian MahoneyAP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James will always remember his first championship. History will remember this one. The way the Heat won — or the way James wouldn't let them lose — makes them one of the greats. A Game 6 comeback when it appeared to be over, then a stirring Game 7 victory over a proud opponent cemented a place with the NBA's giants for this Miami team and its leader. "Last year when I was sitting up here with my first championship, I said it was the toughest thing I had ever done," James said. "This year, I'll tell last year he's absolutely wrong. This was the toughest championship right here between the two." And the San Antonio Spurs will always know it's a title they let slip away.
Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) is defended by San Antonio Spurs' Danny Green during the second half at Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, June 16, 2013, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) by Brian MahoneyAP Basketball Writer SAN ANTONIO (AP) — With the old Manu Ginobili back, the San Antonio Spurs looked like champs again. One more victory and their Big Three, not Miami's, will be the one that rules the NBA. Ginobili broke out of a slump in a big way with 24 points and 10 assists in his first start of the season, and the Spurs beat the Heat 114-104 on Sunday night to take a 3-2 lead.
