NBA Finals 2013: Breaking Down Keys to Heat's Game 7 Victory

Many of us will never forget Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals.

It was a back-and-forth affair that never saw either team lead by more than seven points. There were seven lead changes, and the game was tied up 11 times.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Shane Battier stepped up for the Miami Heat, while 37-year-old Tim Duncan tried his hardest to lead his team to victory.

In the end, the Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 95-88, handing James his second career title and robbing Duncan of his fifth.

Here is how Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals was won.

The Big Two

Chris Bosh had a game he'd probably like to forget, scoring zero points on 0-of-5 shooting. 

Meanwhile, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade stepped up, to nobody's surprise. James posted 37 points on 12-of-23 shooting (5-of-10 from beyond the arc) and added 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Wade registered 23 points on 11-of-21 shooting and added 10 rebounds, two blocks and one steal.

James and Wade grabbed more rebounds (22) than the rest of the Heat (21) and accounted for 63 percent of the team's points. This is what Hall of Famers do.

Three-Point Shooting

Beyond LeBron's five three-pointers, Shane Battier came off the bench to go 6-of-8 from downtown, which was huge for the Heat. 

Battier was unconscious at right-center, while James spread his three-pointers around.

Battier made two of his three-pointers in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Heat went 12-of-32 (38 percent) from beyond the arc.

After going a combined 1-of-9 from downtown in the first four games of the series, Battier went a combined 11-of-18 from three-point range in the last three games of the series.

Defense

More than anything, Miami's defense won Game 7.

The Spurs shot 38 percent from the field, including going 6-of-19 from beyond the arc. Star point guard Tony Parker went a dismal 3-of-12 from the floor, while Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili combined for seven turnovers (although Duncan had a big game overall).

In particular, Danny Green—who played big for the first five games of the series—was stopped in Game 7 after struggling in Game 6. In Game 7, Green scored five points on 1-of-12 shooting. He combined for eight points on 2-of-19 shooting in the final two games of the series.

The Heat also scored 20 points on 14 turnovers by the Spurs in Game 7.