High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The 2011–12 NBA season, the 66th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), began with the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the owners of the 30 NBA teams and the NBA`s players. The previous CBA, which was ratified in 2005, expired at 12:01 AM EDT on July 1, 2011, resulting in a lockout. With the new deal in place, the regular season was shortened from the normal 82 games per team to 66, because of the nearly two months of inactivity. The season began on December 25, 2011, and ended on April 26, 2012. The playoffs started on April 28 and ended on June 21 when the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their series, 121–106, winning the Finals, 4–1 and to capture the franchise`s second NBA title. LeBron James was named both the Regular Season MVP and the NBA Finals MVP.