Anchorage's Mario Chalmers hit another big shot to help his team win another NBA title.
Whatever the level, all this guy does is win.
And now it's time for the state of Alaska to embrace him as our greatest basketball champion. The 6-foot-2 Miami Heat starting guard made several key baskets Thursday night, most notably a 30-footer he sank to beat the third quarter buzzer, as the Heat topped the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Chalmers, of Bartlett High fame, finished with 14 points.
This was his second straight NBA title and the fifth of his career – two Alaska high school titles at Bartlett, one NCAA crow at the University of Kansas and now two with the Heat.
He hit big shots every step of the way.
In 2002, as a Bartlett freshman, he nailed two free throws in the final seconds to beat Kenai in the first round of the ASAA Class 4A state tournament.
In 2008, as a Kansas junior, he drilled a game-tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in regulation to force overtime in a win over Memphis in the NCAA national championship game.
He did it again Thursday, taking the inbounds pass with 5.2 seconds left in the quarter and somehow getting around the defense to get off a shot that banked in as the buzzer sounded, giving Miami a 72-71 lead.
It gave the Heat a wave of confidence going into the fourth.
"I thought it was nothing but net when it left my hand," Chalmers told CBS Sports afterwards. "I'm a winner. "I've been blessed to be in a position to win, and I want to keep winning."
Chalmers, 27, was already the first Alaska player to win championships at the high school, college and professional level. Now he's a repeat winner at the highest level.
This was his fourth career Game 7 in the NBA playoffs.
Chalmers made 6-of-15 shots, including just 1-for-7 on 3s.
In the first half he made a pair of jumpers and a pretty reverse layup. He sank the buzzer-beating 3 in the third quarter. His only bucket in the fourth quarter came on a heads-up driving layup, where he split the defense and attacked an unprotected rim.
Chalmers has averaged 11 points in a 12 career games in the Finals, earning the trust of Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. "Spo always tells me he'll go to war with me," Chalmers told CBS. "I'll always go to war with Spo or anyone on this team. And that's what we did tonight. We went to war and we won."
Longtime Anchorage sports journalist Van Williams writes a column on the exploits of Alaska athletes for the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame website.