# 2012–13 Miami Heat season
The 2012–13 [Miami Heat](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-heat) season was the [National Basketball Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-basketball-association) (NBA) franchise's 25th season, in which Miami compiled a 66–16 regular-season record, the best in the league, and defeated the [San Antonio Spurs](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-antonio-spurs) 4–3 in the NBA Finals to win a second consecutive championship.[1](https://www.nba.com/standings?Season=2012-13&lang=en) • [2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2012-13) The season is remembered for a franchise-record 27-game winning streak, the second-longest in NBA history, and for Ray Allen's corner three-pointer in the final seconds of Game 6 of the Finals.[3](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612748/2023/11/2023-24-Miami-Heat-Media-Guide_39884007.pdf) • [4](https://www.nba.com/news/a-look-at-the-heats-previous-6-trips-to-the-nba-finals)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular-season record | 66–16 (.805), first overall in the NBA; 37–4 at home[1](https://www.nba.com/standings?Season=2012-13&lang=en) |
| Winning streak | 27 consecutive games, the longest in franchise history and the second-longest single-season streak in NBA history[3](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612748/2023/11/2023-24-Miami-Heat-Media-Guide_39884007.pdf) |
| Playoff run | Defeated Milwaukee 4–0, Chicago 4–1, Indiana 4–3, and San Antonio 4–3[3](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612748/2023/11/2023-24-Miami-Heat-Media-Guide_39884007.pdf) |
| Result | NBA champions, Miami's second consecutive title and third overall[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2012-13) |
| Major honors | LeBron James, regular-season MVP (his fourth) and Finals MVP; All-NBA First Team; All-Defensive First Team[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2012-13) • [3](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612748/2023/11/2023-24-Miami-Heat-Media-Guide_39884007.pdf) |
| Offense | Offensive rating of 112.3, second best in the NBA; the highest effective field-goal percentage of all time for a regular season[5](https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/thenba-finals-by-the-numbers/) • [6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13) |
| Key addition | Ray Allen, signed in the offseason, who hit the title-saving three in Finals Game 6[6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13) |
## Regular season
Coming off the 2012 championship, the Heat added [Ray Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-allen), the league's all-time leader in three-pointers made, to a core of [LeBron James](https://www.edgepedia.org/lebron-james), Dwyane Wade, and [Chris Bosh](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-bosh). Miami's offense emphasized floor spacing from the corners, and the team turned in the highest effective field-goal percentage of all time during the regular season.[6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13) Wade and Bosh each had the most efficient seasons of their careers, and nearly every Miami shooter topped 40 percent from three-point range.[6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13)
**James's MVP season.** James shot 56.5 percent from the floor and won his fourth Most Valuable Player award.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2012-13) He was named to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team, and won Eastern Conference Player of the Month for every month from October/November through March.[3](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612748/2023/11/2023-24-Miami-Heat-Media-Guide_39884007.pdf)
Miami finished 66–16, a .805 winning percentage that led the league, with a 37–4 home record and an eight-game winning streak to close the season.[1](https://www.nba.com/standings?Season=2012-13&lang=en) Home attendance totaled 819,290, an average of 19,983 per game at AmericanAirlines Arena.[7](https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2013.html)
## The 27-game winning streak
The defining stretch of the regular season was a 27-game winning run that began with a game against Brooklyn on January 30 and ended with a loss to the [Chicago Bulls](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-bulls) on March 27.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2012-13) The NBA's 2013–14 official guide records the streak as running February 3 to March 25, 2013, a difference in the boundary dates between league sources.[8](https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/sportsarchive-documents/prod/698bb7aee7a16/2013-nba-guide.pdf)
The streak was the second-longest single-season winning streak in NBA history and the longest since the introduction of the three-point line.[6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13) It lasted almost two full months, and Miami was not at its best throughout: the [Sacramento Kings](https://www.edgepedia.org/sacramento-kings) took the Heat to double overtime in Miami in a game the streak nearly ended at 11.[6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13) The Chicago Bulls, playing without the injured [Derrick Rose](https://www.edgepedia.org/derrick-rose), ended the run.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2012-13)
## Playoffs
Miami swept the 38-win [Milwaukee Bucks](https://www.edgepedia.org/milwaukee-bucks) in the first round, winning every game by double digits despite Wade sitting out Game 4.[6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13) The Bulls stole Game 1 of the semifinals behind a 35-point fourth quarter from [Nate Robinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/nate-robinson) and [Jimmy Butler](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-butler), but Miami took the next four games to advance.[6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13)
The Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana went seven games. The Pacers, built around [Roy Hibbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/roy-hibbert), David West, and an improved [Paul George](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-george), were widely seen as a team designed to beat Miami's small-ball lineups, and neither team won consecutive games before Game 7. Miami controlled that deciding game and won by 23 points.[6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13)
## NBA Finals
Miami met [San Antonio](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-antonio), the Western Conference's second seed, in a Finals that went the full seven games.[4](https://www.nba.com/news/a-look-at-the-heats-previous-6-trips-to-the-nba-finals) The Spurs took Game 1 in Miami on Tony Parker's leaning shot in the last minute, and the teams traded blowouts through Game 5, leaving San Antonio ahead 3–2.[6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13)
**Game 6.** With 28.2 seconds left in Game 6, Miami trailed by five and the championship ceremony preparations, including yellow tape near the sideline, were already in place. James missed a three-pointer, Chris Bosh grabbed the offensive rebound, and Allen, backpedaling to the right corner, made a three-pointer with 5.2 seconds remaining to force overtime. Miami won in overtime, a game sealed in part by Bosh's block of Danny Green in the corner.[4](https://www.nba.com/news/a-look-at-the-heats-previous-6-trips-to-the-nba-finals) • [6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13)
In Game 7, James and Wade combined for 60 points on 23-of-44 shooting, and Shane Battier, who had lost playing time during the Indiana series, made 6 of 8 three-point attempts off the bench. James's late jumper put Miami up four and clinched the title.[6](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13) The loss was described by NBA.com as the lowest moment in Spurs franchise history, and San Antonio beat Miami in the 2014 Finals rematch the following season.[4](https://www.nba.com/news/a-look-at-the-heats-previous-6-trips-to-the-nba-finals) • [9](https://apnews.com/article/d721a3d62bcdbb3946f0c3a23b1f096d)
## Honors
James won both the regular-season MVP and Finals MVP awards. Shane Battier received the Magic Johnson Award, and Chris Bosh was an All-Star and Shooting Stars champion at All-Star Weekend.[3](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612748/2023/11/2023-24-Miami-Heat-Media-Guide_39884007.pdf) League-wide award winners that season included Damian Lillard as Rookie of the Year, Marc Gasol as Defensive Player of the Year, and George Karl as Coach of the Year.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2012-13)
## References
1. [NBA 2012-13 Regular Season Standings, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/standings?Season=2012-13&lang=en)
2. [Season Review: 2012-13, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2012-13)
3. [2012-13 Season, 2023-24 Miami Heat Media Guide, NBA.com](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612748/2023/11/2023-24-Miami-Heat-Media-Guide_39884007.pdf)
4. [A look at the Heat's previous 6 trips to the NBA Finals, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/a-look-at-the-heats-previous-6-trips-to-the-nba-finals)
5. [The NBA Finals By The Numbers, CBS Miami](https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/thenba-finals-by-the-numbers/)
6. [Year-by-Year: 2012-13, Miami Heat, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/heat/history/year-year-2012-13)
7. [2012-13 NBA Season Summary, Basketball-Reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2013.html)
8. [2013-2014 Edition NBA Guide](https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/sportsarchive-documents/prod/698bb7aee7a16/2013-nba-guide.pdf)
9. [Gregg Popovich retires after 29 seasons as Spurs coach, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d721a3d62bcdbb3946f0c3a23b1f096d)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › NBA and WNBA (North American professional basketball) › NBA and WNBA seasons, champions, and records*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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