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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Russell Westbrook's 43 points was not enough to lead the Thunder past Miami in Game 4 on Tuesday night in Miami./AP Photo

Just a week ago, Oklahoma City had won its fifth consecutive playoff game to take a 1-0 series lead in the NBA Finals.

The Thunder had taken four straight against the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals and disposed of the Miami Heat in Game 1 by 11 points, 105-94.

Now they’ve lost three straight to Miami by a total of 16 points.  The Heat beat them in Game 4 on Tuesday night, 104-98, despite having a 17-point, first-quarter lead and Russell Westbrook going bonkers with 43 points.

If the Thunder lose Thursday night in Miami, their season will end on a four-game skid just San Antonio’s did at their hands.

Wouldn’t that be ironic.

Can OKC avoid this early of an elimination and force a Game 6 at home? Sure, but this franchise is going to through the same process great teams had to do before signing free agents to win now, not later.

The Detroit Pistons had to get through the Boston Celtics before winning back-to-back titles (1989-90). The Chicago Bulls had to get through the Pistons before winning three straight championships. (1991-93).

The Thunder’s time will come as they will learn from these 2012 finals:

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Has the time come for 3-time MVP LeBron James to win his first R-I-N-G? OKC doesn't think so./AP Photo.

Got to stick my with pick.

Before the season started, I picked the Miami Heat as one of the five favorites to win it all.

Before the NBA playoffs, I picked them to win it all.

Now with Game 1 of the NBA Finals about to start in a few hours, the Heat are right where they’re supposed to be, but face the team I picked they’d meet in the finals – the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oh boy.

The Thunder are serious, folks.

They play fast, can score as will, defend the paint and their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden are not only shot makers, but shot takers.

None of them are afraid to launch when all is on the line.

It’s hard to beat a team like that.

The Heat have the team to do it, but are they up to the challenge?

This isn’t the New York Knicks, who had talent, but couldn’t put it together in time to really challenge them.

This isn’t the Indiana Pacers, who although physical and tough, lacked the experience to put a team way.

This isn’t the Boston Celtics, who are savvy vets that ran out of gas.

This is Oklahoma City. The Thunder have the NBA’s best fans, just beat the league’s best team in San Antonio four straight times after the Spurs had won 20 games in a row.

However, this is LeBron James’ time.

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If anyone has ever checked out Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take, you know how he gets down.

Like the “Nature Boy” Rick Flair, he’s custom made from head to toe.

In debates with Skip Bayless, Smith is direct, detailed and downright devastating when on a roll.

For those who haven’t caught Smith’s face-to-face verbal battles with Bayless, Saturday Night Live’s Jay Pharoah comes about as close as one could get in impersonating ESPN’s NBA expert.

Hilarious.

Germany's Dirk Nowitzki has always been a scorer (Avg. 23 PPG in 13 NBA seasons), but being a more complete player has turned him into an even tougher cover./AP Photo.

Dirk Nowitzki is not better than LeBron James. He’s just been playing better in the playoffs. At least that’s what everyone is saying.

All we hear now is how Nowitzki has become this unstoppable player.

Hello?

Dirk  has always been a tough cover. The difference is he’s finding teammates so he’s making opponents pay for however they guard him.

Making his second trip to the NBA Finals, the 7-footer, one-legged shot maker with range from El Paso is one of the five keys to the series. If he can force Miami to have to double team him, that opens up the entire Dallas offense.

Here are other four keys for Dallas in the finals, which begins Tuesday at 9 p.m. in Miami.

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Dallas SG Jason Terry has a tattoo he may have to get removed if the Miami Heat win the NBA finals./AP Photo.

Check out these articles into Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on ABC.

1. LeBron James: I have a long way to go before being compared to Michael Jordan

2. Heat’s Big Three go from being selfish to successful

3. Spoelstra is Miami’s calming influence

4. Hyde 5: LeBron, Jay-Z and Dallas’ DeShawn Stevenson

5. Mark Cuban’s quiet time goes on, to Mavs’ delight

6. Actor Adam Pally, Rudy Gay talk Dirk or LeBron

7. Jason Kidd: ‘I still have a lot left to give’

8. Terry will get NBA championship tattoo removed if Mavs don’t beat Miami

Life without two-time NBA MVP LeBron James begins today for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

With the Cleveland Cavaliers media day ending at Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence, Ohio a few hours ago, I’m sitting her wondering what to make of it all. 

As Mo Williams said, there are no TNT trailers or ESPN trailers here, but George Smith of ESPN was there.  Got to recognize George. He does work. 

Anyway, the buzz was about the obvious. Life without LeBron James. 

“There is no LeBron in this building,” Williams said. “Whether we believe it or not, he’s not coming back, you know. This is what we got.” 

Cleveland coach Byron Scott said he’s moving on and is excited about running the players into the ground in training camp. He said he’s putting trash cans around the court for those who need to lose their lunch. 

He also said the players should be “pissed” about people saying they’re not going to win without James, the two-time NBA MVP from Akron who left Cleveland this summer to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. 

Heard the Heat had a press conference at 2 p.m., which was the same time the Cavs got started. The thing the players and Scott are asking the fans is to be patient. 

Hard for fans to do that when the owner, Dan Gilbert, got them all stirred up by saying the Cavaliers will win a title without James before Miami does with James and the Heat are favored to win it all this season, but that’s another story to tell later. 

But let’s get back to Mo Williams. It was classic Mo today.

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If Kobe Bryant wins a sixth NBA championship next season, can he then be on share the same stage with Michael Jordan?

The Los Angeles Lakers did it again.

Having been out of town and off work since Thursday’s Game 7 the Lakers won to win back-to-back NBA titles, I just got back at it today.

Very interesting Game 7, but the better team won the game and the series.

The Lakers have the best player in Kobe Bryant, the best coach in Phil Jackson and had home-court advantage.

Got a little help when Pau Gasol traveled on that inside bucket late in the game, but if Ron Artest can hit a 3-pointer in the clutch after building  town homes with all those bricks he was hoisting from behind the arc in this series, the Lakers were destined to win the game anyway.

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Jordan Farmar served up a facial on Kevin Garnett. Ouch.

The Los Angeles Lakers showed up tonight.

Well, the real Los Angeles Lakers showed up and put a hurtin’ on the Boston Celtics, 89-67, in Tuesday’s Game 6 to force and seventh and deciding game Thursday in Los Angeles. 

They clamped down defensively, Ron Artest showed up and Kobe Bryant set the tone. Couple that with Boston center Kendrick Perkins going down with a knee injury in the first quarter and that was the beginning of the end for the Celtics tonight.

Now Perkins did walk out the arena on his own, but if he can’t go for Game 7, Boston is done. 

Coming into the game with a 3-2 lead, the Celtics had a chance to close out the series, but also realized they had a game to play with. So you didn’t see them come out with the emotion needed to win on the road.

No need to talk too much about this because there isn’t much to discuss.

The Celtics played poorly (shot 33 percent for the game), the Lakers played better and Bryant was the best player on the floor (26 points, 11 rebounds).

So what are keys for Game 7?

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Boston point guard Rajon Rondo and his coach, Doc Rivers, are doing work against the defending NBA champions.

Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has been the best player in the NBA playoffs and he showed why in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, Rondo had two steals, an amazing tip in over the much taller Lamar Odom and a game-sealing lay up in helping the Boston Celtics take a 3-2 series lead with a 92-86 victory Sunday.

Game 6 is Tuesday in Los Angeles. If the Lakers are able to win that game, there will be a decisive Game 7. It will be Thursday night in Los Angeles.

With it being a 2-3-2 format, the Lakers host the last two games because they have home-court advantage. All that will go for naught if Rondo and the Celtics win the series.

In his fourth season out of Kentucky, Rondo has emerged as one of the top point guards in the NBA. He really made his splash in leading the Celtics past the top seed in the playoffs – the Cleveland Cavaliers – and is at it again against the defending NBA champions.

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