Above: Joel Anthony

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 to win the NBA championship, meaning the first ring for LeBron James and two rings for the Caribbean.

Martinique native Ronny Turiaf and Antigua’s Joel Anthony, both centers for the Heat, are now NBA champions.

It’s the second year in a row that Caribbean players were part of the NBA’s champions. Last year, Guadeloupe’s Rodrigue Beaubois helped the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Heat in six games.

This year, the Heat’s fortunes changed, led by James, who quieted his critics with a spectacular performance in five games, winning NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.

The winningest Caribbean-born player is, of course, the United States Virgin Islands’ Tim Duncan, who has four rings to his credit.

He was defeated in this year’s Western Conference Finals by the Thunder, who won the first game of the series but lost four consecutive games.