Heats on top again

Led by LeBron James, who scored 37 points, the Miami Heat defended its NBA title by defeating the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 in Game 7 of the finals at Miami on Thursday.

Dwyane Wade chipped in 23 points for the Heat, who won its third title overall.

"This was the hardest series we ever had to play, but we're a resilient team and we did what it took," he said.

Reserve Shane Battier made six 3-pointers and had 18 points for Miami. James also had a team-high 12 rebounds in winning his second crown.

Tim Duncan scored 24 points for the four-time champion Spurs.

"LeBron was incredible, and they just made more plays down the stretch," he said.

Guard Tony Parker, who went 3-for-12 in Game 7 and scored just 10 points, had no excuses, saying he just missed shots.

"Tonight we did a great fight," he said. "We just could get over the hump. ... It's tough to come so close."


/CNN/