In what has been one of the more entertaining NBA Finals series in recent memory, the Miami Heat bested the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win Game 7, and with it, the NBA championship.

Though the Heat has been the favorite to win it all ever since they snagged the title last season, that didn't always mean that the road was easy. After a nail-biting series against the Indiana Pacers, the Heat faced equally stingy competition in the always-competitive Spurs squad.

"It took everything we had as a team," Dwyane Wade said. "Credit to the San Antonio Spurs, they're an unbelievable team, an unbelievable franchise. This is the hardest series we ever had to play. But we're a resilient team and we did whatever it took."

The Heat victory comes two nights after a devastating Game 6 loss by the Spurs. Despite leading throughout almost the entire night, head coach Greg Popovich's squad could not keep the Heat at bay. After Ray Allen forced the game to overtime with 5.2 seconds left, the Spurs were not able win the extra period of play.

"In my case I still have Game 6 in my head," noted Spurs guard Manu Ginobili. "Today we played an OK game, they just made more shots than us. LeBron got hot. Shane, too. Those things can happen. But being so close and feeling that you are about to grab that trophy, and seeing it vanish is very hard."

Ginobili has had a particularly rough year, and undoubtedly his inability to consistently contribute hurt his team's chances. Still, the majority of the credit has to go to the hero of this series, and undoubtedly the best basketball player on the planet, LeBron James.

The second NBA Finals victory for James accompanied his second NBA Finals MVP. Earlier in his career, James often received criticism for not being able to finish out the season and carry the team on his shoulders. After this most recent triumph, there are few that can make such an allegation anymore.

"Listen, I can't worry about what everybody says about me," James said. "I'm LeBron James, from Akron, Ohio, from the inner city. I'm not even supposed to be here. That's enough. Every night I walk into the locker room, I see a No. 6 with James on the back. I'm blessed. So what everybody says about me off the court, don't matter. I ain't got no worries."

James noted that he worked especially hard on his jump shot over the course of the past couple of years. That work has certainly paid off, as witnessed when he hit five threes to lead his team to victory in Game 7. James finished the series with staggering averages of roughly 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals per game.