Recently, Heat coach Eric Spoelstra was interviewed by reporters. He recalled his 2012 Finals experience against the Thunder and said it was the most athletic round of the series people have ever seen.
In 2012, the Heat and Thunder were both second-seeded in the West and East, where they met in the Finals. The Heat have a big trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, while the Thunder have three young superstars, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
"A lot of people said that series was the most athletic series people have ever seen. We're fast, and the Thunder may be faster than us. The pace of the game is very fast, even if it is positional battles, the explosive athleticism is fantastic. People really felt it very quickly. ”
This series is also a fierce showdown. The Thunder beat the Heat 105-94 in Game 1, and Durant scored 36 points. But the Heat pulled one back 100-96 in Game 2, with James and Wade scoring 32 points each. From Game 3, the Heat took the initiative, winning three straight games 91-85, 104-98 and 121-106 to claim their second championship in franchise history.
James also won his first Finals MVP, averaging 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in five games.
Spoelstra said he has deep feelings for that team. "It was a very special team, we went through a lot of difficulties and challenges, but we finally achieved our goal."