Charlie Klein
Everyone will remember where they were when LeBron hit that shot. LeBron James hit a three point shot with time expiring to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 96-95 win over the Orlando Magic last night in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The silence inside the Quicken Loans was such that one could hear a pin drop after Hedo Turkoglu knocked down a running lay up with one second remaining on the clock.With seven seconds remaining on the shot clock with 13 seconds remaining in regulation, Cavalier Sasha Pavlovic fouled Turkoglu, which resulted in a fresh shot clock for the Magic and allowed them to take what everyone assumed would be the last shot of the game. The Magic bench celebrated like they had won the game, and at that moment, who among us was to deny them that expression of joy? That person was LeBron James.
With one second remaining, Cavalier Mo Williams inbounds the ball to James, who catches, and launches a three point shot attempt whose only imperfection was that it caught a slight touch from the rim before sending Cleveland into complete pandemonium. Williams described the discussion of who would get the ball, "Option B was LeBron,” he said. “Option C was LeBron. Option D was Big Game James.” Even James expressed admiration the shot, calling it "the biggest shot I’ve made in my career. To hit a shot like that at the buzzer, at home, wow."
At their postgame press conference the Orlando Magic did not have much to say. Magic center Dwight Howard, who himself has earned the nickname Superman, said "It’s a tough shot. I’m shocked that anybody would make that shot." Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said, "That one obviously hurts quite a bit. We should have defended it — I should have defended it — differently. Hedo did as good a job as anybody could do on that." What Van Gundy forgot is that one cannot guard against amazing.
James' shot drew comparisons to "The Shot" made by another 23 Michael Jordan which ended the Cavaliers' 1989 NBA Playoff run. James was clearly cognizant of the history he had made, commenting, "That guy’s not in the league anymore. The other 23 is on the good side now."
All Turkoglu had to do was jump over a dime to redirect the shot. That was terrible D on the last play. The Magic still dominate the Cavs, I'll take any bet this series will only go 6....maybe 5. Magic are much better conditioned & well rounded team. Could have been a sweep if the decided to play D on that last second shot.
ReplyDelete