The Miami Heat got their NBA championship rings, watched a video tribute to last season's record-setting campaign and then went out and showed why they are still the team to beat.

LeBron James and the Miami Heat will open the 2013-14 National Basketball Association season at home against the Chicago Bulls, the NBA announced on Tuesday.

Miami Heat forward LeBron James won his second successive NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after leading his team to victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Thursday's championship decider.

The Miami Heat repeated as National Basketball Association (NBA) champions on Thursday with a 95-88 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the decisive seventh game of an epic series.

The Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday to clinch the National Basketball Association championship.

One of the most turbulent championships in National Basketball Association (NBA) history will reach its climax on Thursday when the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs meet in the decisive seventh game of the Finals.

The Miami Heat forced an already absorbing NBA Finals to a deciding Game Seven after a thrilling 103-100 overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday tied the series at 3-3.

The Miami Heat produced an extraordinary comeback to beat the San Antonio Spurs 103-100 in overtime early on Wednesday to force a decisive seventh game in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals.

The Indiana Pacers beat the Miami Heat 91-77 on Saturday to force a decisive game seven in the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Eastern Conference finals.

After enduring a roller-coaster season described by Hall of Famer Earvin 'Magic' Johnson as "one of the worst" in franchise history, Los Angeles Lakers fans are scratching their heads over what may happen next.

Fiorentina, two goals down and reduced to 10 men, converted two quickfire penalties to draw 2-2 with AC Milan in Serie A on Sunday while a 12-minute hat-trick by German Denis gave Atalanta a 4-3 win at a stunned Inter Milan after they had trailed 3-1.

Tottenham Hotspur trounced a sorry Inter Milan 3-0 in the Europa League on Thursday while last year's European champions Chelsea were humbled 1-0 by Steaua Bucharest after being stung by a Raul Rusescu penalty.

Kevin Durant landed a triple double as the Oklahoma City Thunder recorded a 119-74 blowout victory over the outclassed New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Clippers registered a comprehensive 107-94 win over the Utah Jazz at the StaplesCenter on Saturday to rebound from their thrashing at the hands of San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.

Jarrett Jack came off the bench to score 30 points as the Golden State Warriors rallied past the road-weary San Antonio Spurs for a 107-101 overtime victory on Friday.

Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin provided a potent mix of outside shooting and inside dominance to lift the Western Conference to a 143-138 victory over the Eastern Conference in the NBA All-Star game on Sunday.

San Antonio Spurs protected their NBA-best record with an impressive 103-89 victory over Chicago Bulls on Monday despite missing three top players through injury.

The Nuggets brought the Los Angeles Clippers' franchise record 17-game winning streak to a halt on Tuesday with a 92-78 victory in Denver.

Denver snapped the Memphis Grizzles' eight-game winning streak with a 97-92 victory over the NBA's hottest team on Monday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder booked their place in the National Basketball Association finals on the back of a furious second-half comeback led by Kevin Durant to take a series-clinching 107-99 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder moved one win away from the NBA championship finals after a 108-103 road victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday gave them a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The San Antonio Spurs gave Oklahoma City a lesson in championship poise with a 101-98 victory on Sunday that stretched their remarkable win streak to 19 games and gave them the early advantage in the Western Conference Finals.

Memphis suffered no ill effects of their stunning Game One capitulation to complete a measured 105-98 triumph over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday to tie up their first-round Western Conference series at 1-1.

Kobe Bryant had a game-high 31 points for the Los Angeles Lakers while the San Antonio Spurs relied on a potent offense as each team earned playoff-opening wins in their respective Western Conference quarter-final series.

The Miami Heat and LeBron James begin an all-or-nothing campaign for an NBA title while defending champion Dallas Mavericks and Kirk Nowitzki face a tough start to the opening weekend of the playoffs.

The Utah Jazz grabbed the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs with a 100-88 home victory over Phoenix, dashing the Suns' own post-season hopes on Tuesday.

The San Antonio Spurs moved to within one victory of securing the Western Conference top seed for the playoffs on Sunday as the NBA's leading contenders continued to jostle for position in the final week of the regular season.

Derrick Rose returned to the lineup to help Chicago Bulls beat the Dallas Mavericks 93-83 on Saturday and increase their lead over the Miami Heat in the race for the Eastern Conference's top seed.

San Antonio made amends for last week's stinging home loss to Los Angeles by trouncing the Lakers 112-91 on their home court on Tuesday.

Chris Paul scored 24 of his game-high 31 points in a dominant second half display to carry the Los Angeles Clippers to a last-ditch 100-98 road victory over the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

The San Antonio Spurs stayed mere percentage points in front of Oklahoma City for the Western Conference lead after both teams won Sunday to intensify their battle in the final month of the NBA season.

The San Antonio Spurs blew past the New Orleans Hornets 128-103 to claim the Western Conference lead with their 10th consecutive victory on Friday.

The Lakers kept their noses ahead of the Clippers in the Pacific Division race with a tense 113-108 victory in the battle between the well-matched Los Angeles teams on Wednesday.

LeBron James delivered a season-high 41 points in the absence of injured sidekick Dwyane Wade as the Miami Heat clinched a playoff berth with their 99-93 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

San Antonio's Tony Parker scored 37 points to continue his hot scoring stretch and lead the Spurs to a 100-90 road win over the Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday for their sixth successive victory.

Tony Parker scored a season-high 42 points to propel the San Antonio Spurs past the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 107-96 on Saturday night.

Joakim Noah is considering a move to the French League if the NBA season is cancelled because of the lockout, the Chicago Bulls center said on Thursday.

The Dallas Mavericks moved to the brink of their first NBA championship by defeating the Miami Heat 112-103 on Thursday to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven finals series.

The Miami supporting cast helped the Heat survive one final run from the Philadelphia 76ers to hold on for a 97-91 victory on Wednesday that advanced them to the next round of the NBA's play-offs.

The Boston Celtics won the battle of the NBA's best on Wednesday with a thrilling 105-103 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.