The Miami Heat certainly played like the champions they became throughout the five games of the 2012 NBA Finals. LeBron James earned his first ring, as did many other members of the Heat roster, and Mario Chalmers was among the many enjoying the moment. The former Kansas point guard earned praise from his former coach Bill Self after the series.
"I’m happy for Mario. I would have been happy for Cole [Aldrich] and Nick [Collison] if the Thunder would have won. I didn’t care one way or another that way," Self said. "But I’m especially happy for Mario considering how much he impacted the game. He’s kind of emerged as one of the elite players in the NBA."
Self also praised the entire team for the way they handled themselves throughout the series.
"It was unbelievable how well the Heat played and how they continually got better throughout the series. I don’t think the Thunder on any night could have beat the Heat last night," said Self. "I thought the Heat were that good, and Mario of course was a huge reason why they played so well."
Chalmers was one of the heroes of the series with his strong play throughout but in particular a 25 point effort that helped the Heat win game four.