LeBron James came to Miami to do what he did Thursday night, win an NBA title./AP Photo.

Hugging the world championship trophy, LeBron James was all smiles Thursday night.

James can finally claim an NBA title as his own./AP Photo.

He earned that elated feeling.

“It’s about damn time,” James said.

The one who waited nine years to win an NBA title no longer has to do so.

LeBron James can now be called a champion after leading the Miami Heat to an NBA title. The Heat sealed the finals series, 4-1, by winning Game 5 in dominant fashion, 121-106, against the Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Arena.

This journey truly began the night of his greatest individual playoff performance – May 31, 2007, Game 5, Eastern Conference Finals, The Palace, Auburn Hills, Mich.

With the series tied 2-2, James willed the Cleveland Cavaliers to an 109-107 double-overtime win against the Detroit Pistons by scoring 48 points. He scored Cleveland’s final 25 points.

It’s the best playoff performance I’ve ever seen in person. It was so good, Michael Jordan came out and praised James for his play.

It also started the championship clock.

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Chris Bosh has become the emotional force of Miami's Big 3 as the Heat have taken a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder./AP Photo.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are oh so cool.

Anyone still wearing the flip-up glasses like D-Wade did after Game 4 or glasses without lenses as he and James have done in these playoffs are “smoothed out on the R&B tip with a pop feel appeal” like Bell Biv Devoe back in the 1990s.

However, Bosh has become that fire breathing dragon who lights the Heat’s emotional fuse.

He will always be the third wheel of Miami’s Big 3, but Bosh, who was the man in Toronto, is doing all the dirty work stars rarely do to help the Heat win a title: Dive on the floor for loose balls.  Get offensive boards. Block shots. Defend.

And when asked to score, Bosh can still knock down the jumper and finish pick-and-roll plays at the rim.

However, Bosh has become that emotional leader for Miami. He’s the one you see getting the crowd going by flexing and pumping his fist.

He’s the one barking at teammates and getting them pumped up right before play resumes.

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If Oklahoma City can't find an answer for Memphis PF Zach Randolph, it will fall to the eighth-seeded Grizzlies in Sunday's Game 7./AP Photo

1-2 so far. Not good.

Chicago over Atlanta is the only conference semifinal prediction I’ve gotten right in this year’s NBA Playoffs.

Picked Boston in six games. The Celtics lost in five to the Miami Heat.

Picked the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. The two-time defending NBA champions were swept by the Dallas Mavericks.

I could see the Miami one, coming because age was going to catch Boston sooner or later, but Dallas sweeping the Lakers? The only people who picked that besides Charles Barkley (He’s been on during these playoffs) are Dallas owner Mark Cuban and his closest family members.

Everyone else went with the Lakers.

Now I picked Oklahoma City to take down Memphis in six games, but we’re going to have a deciding Game 7 today to determine who will face the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.

Can’t see Kevin Durant having two bad games in a row so I’m pretty confident in my Thunder pick, but Memphis won’t go down easily. Got too many tough guys. The Grizzlies are more than capable of winning today.

But they won’t.

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Doc Rivers has now lead the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals twice in the last three years. Boston won it in 2008.

Up 3-0, the Boston Celtics had the brooms in  hand and were ready to sweep the Orlando Magic.

Then the Magic got tough and took two games to make it a series.

But on Friday night, the Celtics took care of business at home and beat Orlando, 96-84, in Game 6 to advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons. In 2008, they won it all and last season, they lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to who else, the Magic.

Boston will play the winner of the Western Conference Finals series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.

With a 3-2 lead, the Lakers will try to close out that series in tonight’s Game 6 in Phoenix. If the Suns win, there will be a Game 7 Memorial Day in Los Angeles.

Don’t bank on eating hot dogs and watching a Game 7 Monday. Lakers should take care of business to set up a date with the Celtics.

Now back to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Here are three things we learned from this series.

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The Boston Celtics are still up in this Eastern Conference finals series, 3-2, but would be wise to close it out in Friday's Game 6 at home to avoid a deciding Game 7 in Orlando against the Magic.

Uh oh.

After falling down 3-0 in a best-of-7 Eastern Conference finals series against the Boston Celtics, the Orlando Magic have won two in a row with the latest being a 113-92 win Wednesday night at home.

Now with series mojo on its side, Orlando can even the series in Game 6 Friday in Boston. The Celtics still have the advantage and history on their side as no team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit.

However, the Celtics have reason to be concerned.

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The big man of Boston's Big Three, power forward Kevin Garnett remains the emotional leader of the surging Celtics.

People can blame the coaching, the lack of effort and the inability for one player to take over a game, but the Orlando Magic’s biggest problem can be narrowed down to one thing: The Boston Celtics.

Playing the best defense I’ve seen in a long, long time, Boston has had an answer for everything Orlando has thrown out, which truthfully hasn’t looked like much, but that’s beside the point.

Boston has won every match up, its bench is playing better, its coach Doc Rivers doing a number on Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy and its veterans – Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace – have raised their level of play.

They remind me of old guys at the YMCA that turn it up when stiff competition comes into the gym. Trust me, the Magic were stiff competition coming into the Eastern Conference finals after sweeping their first two playoff opponents, but the Celtics are taking care of them.

With all that being said, I think Orlando gets this game tonight even though it’s in Boston. Can’t see how a team that talented can get swept.

Pride has got to kick in at some point so they’ll get Game 4 and might get Game 5 at home, but it s not going further than six games.

Do I hear “BEAT LA” chants coming from the TD Garden?

If Dwight Howard can't play with fouls in Game 3 tonight, the Orlando Magic can kiss their championship aspirations goodbye.

We’re about 90 minutes before the start of Game 3  in Boston where the Orlando Magic will try avoid going down 3-0 to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

Here are three keys for the Magic to win this game and stay in the series because if they lose tonight, it’s over.

1. Get Rashard Lewis going. After averaging 17 points in Orlando’s sweep of the Atlanta Hawks in the conference semifinals, Lewis has scored 11 points total in the first two games of this series against the Celtics. At the same time, he can’t be standstill jump shooter. Got to mix his offensive game up.

2. Howard must keep cool. He’s been called for 42 fouls in 10 playoff games. His lowest foul total has been three and that was in Game 1 against the Hawks. Calls are going to go against him tonight, but he can’t let that frustrate him. Defense will win this game and the Magic need the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the game.

3. Contain Rondo. While the Big Three – Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce – are key components to the Celtics, point guard Rajon Rondo is the one who makes the team go. Jameer Nelson has to put pressure on him to play the defense and get Rondo in foul trouble. That is a sure-fire way to keep him from dictating the game.

The Magic are more talented than the Celtics, but Boston has had the edge in terms of point-guard play and bench play in this series and have the edge in championship experience.

Although Orlando made it to the NBA Finals last season, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Magic in five games. The Celtics beat that same Laker team in six games to win it all in 2008.

Rajon Rondo and Doc Rivers are on the same page for Boston, which is bad news for everyone else in the playoffs.

Come on David Stern.

We don’t need a break this long between playoff games. We really don’t, but then again, we’re not playing the games.

However, the time between these games is pretty ridiculous. Yo Dave, you’re better than that.

After playing Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday, the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics won’t play Game 3 until Saturday in Boston.

Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns will be Sunday in Phoenix.

They played Game 2 Wednesday.

What amazing is after Game 3 of these two respective series, the remaining games will be played every other day as long as each series continues.

That’s even more puzzling, but I have a greater issue with the time in between Game 2 and Game 3. Each team should take advantage of the time off, though.

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LeBron James may have played his final game for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Thursday's Game 6 loss in Boston.

It’s over.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are done for this season and if LeBron James decides to bounce and join another game, they will be done for much longer.

Just for the record, as much as I thought Cleveland had the team to win it all this season, I predicted before the season began it wouldn’t even make it to the NBA Finals.

Who did I pick: The Los Angeles Lakers to win back-to-back and beat the Orlando Magic again. They’re both still alive. Who would have thunk it?

As for the Cavaliers, they won 60-plus games in consecutive regular seasons, James won back-to-back NBA MVPs and didn’t make to the finals last season or this season.

Something is wrong with that picture?

Who is to blame?

Well, let’s start at the top. Or near the top.

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The Orlando Magic are the only team that hasn't lost a game in this year's NBA playoffs.

Well, let me rephrase that.

The Orlando Magic are looking very strong.

They’re 7-0 in the playoffs and just taking Atlanta to the cleaners. Hard to gauge their wins against Atlanta because the Hawks are so disoriented, but Orlando has something to do with that.

After winning Game 3 by 30 points on Saturday, Orlando will close out its Eastern Conference series against the Hawks on Monday in Game 4.

Dwight Howard seems to have adjusted to the fouls, but what’s great about the Magic is they’ve got five guys who can get 20 points at any time.

Hard to guard a team like that. The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to have their hands full with the Magic in the Eastern Conference finals.

I know. I know.

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