1. James’ buzzer-beater lifts Cavaliers over
Magic
CLEVELAND (AP)—Michael Jordan no longer has the most famous buzzer-beater in
Cleveland sports history.
The Shot has been topped.
LeBron James(notes) made one better.
James dropped a 3-pointer from the top of the key over Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu(notes)
as the final horn sounded Friday night to give the Cavaliers, their season a heartbeat from
major trouble, a 96-95 victory over the Magic that evened the Eastern Conference finals
at one game apiece.
From 23 feet—matching his jersey number and Jordan’s—James hit a shot that will go
down as one of the defining moments in a career that’s just hitting its stride.
“That guy is not in the league any more,” James said of Jordan. “The other 23 is on the
good side now.”
Taking the inbounds pass from Mo Williams(notes), James only had time to turn his
shoulders toward the rim and fire. As the high-arcing shot dropped through, James
sprinted into the arms of his delirious teammates as 20,562 stunned fans hugged in
disbelief.
“You couldn’t hear anything but a roar,” James said. “Those fans deserved it. That was
the biggest shot I’ve made in my career. A second is a long time for me, for others it’s
very short. As a kid you practice those moments.”
In the past, this was the kind of shot that happened against the Cavs. Jordan’s jumper in
1989 over Craig Ehlo eliminated Cleveland from the playoffs— a punch-in-the-stomach
moment burned into the psyche of every Cleveland fan.
Well, James is changing everything around here.

2. Game 3 is Sunday night in Orlando, where the Magic beat the Cavaliers twice this season
and thumped them by 29 points on April 3.
One second before James’ shot, Turkoglu hit a 12-footer in the lane to give the Magic,
who overcame a 23-point deficit in the first half, a 95-93 lead. Cleveland called a timeout
and set up a play for James, the league’s MVP who finished with 35 points.
James darted toward the basket to create some room on Turkoglu and then cut back near
the top of the circle before letting loose with the biggest shot in his 24 years. After seeing
James’ only 3-pointer of the game fall, Williams dropped to his knees and pounded the
floor with his right hand as Quicken Loans Arena shook to its core.
“I was punch drunk,” Williams said. “I was stuck. I couldn’t move.”
Officials looked at the replay to make sure it should count.
There was no doubt.
“We just couldn’t afford to go down 0-2,” James said. “That’s just a great shot. Now we
have to get ready for Game 3. There’s a lot to clean up.”
Rashard Lewis(notes) scored 23 points and Turkoglu had 21 for the Magic, who have
now lost four games at the buzzer in these playoffs. Dwight Howard(notes) scored 10—
20 below his Game 1 performance—and added 18 rebounds.
Williams had 19 points—on 7-of-21 shooting—and Zydrunas Ilguaskas had 12 points
and 15 rebounds for Cleveland.
Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was upset with his decision to guard James on the last
play.
“That one obviously hurts quite a bit,” he said. “I’d like to have that last one back from a
coaching standpoint,” he said. “I should have defended it differently. It’s crushing
enough to lose as a coach, but when you feel like you’re the guy who could’ve made the
difference, it hurts a lot more.
“I just want to win and we should have won.”
Like the hand powder James famously blows above his head before every game,
Cleveland’s season was on the verge of disappearing into thin air.
Their offense out of whack and their defense not up to its usual standards, the Cavaliers
let the Magic overcome a huge deficit for the second straight game.

3. Turkoglu’s 3-pointer with 48.7 seconds left had tied it 93-93, and the Cavs appeared to
take the lead on James’ left-handed layup over Howard. But he was called for traveling,
one of several calls that could have gone either way in a second half filled with whistles.
“That walk—great call by the refs,” James said, “glad I had a chance to redeem myself.”
Turkoglu’s shot over Sasha Pavlovic(notes), who gave the Cavs a lift off the bench with
nine points, had Cleveland fans reliving all those moments of sports heartbreak—
Jordan’s Shot, John Elway’s Drive, The Fumble—that have led to the city’s 45-year
championship drought.
James, though, the kid from down the Interstate in nearby Akron, restored their
confidence that this might finally be Cleveland’s season.
“An amazing player,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said. “To have the wherewithal to have
that type of confidence in yourself, to know there’s one second on the clock and you’re
ending this thing right now … not many people could do it. An amazing shot by an
amazing player. That’s what great players do.”
Down by 23 in the second quarter the Magic, who won the opener by one point, were
within 12 at halftime.
Orlando Magic's Dwight How…
AP - May 23, 12:36 am EDT
By the end of the third they had cut it to six, and when Lewis backed down Delonte
West(notes) and scored on a short jumper with 6:12 left, Orlando had tied it at 84-all.
For a few seconds, it looked as if Turkoglu would be the hero and the Magic would be
halfway to their first appearance in the finals since 1995.
James wouldn’t allow it.

4. “I’m shocked anybody would make that shot,” Howard said. “Everybody is watching. I
know I won’t be able to sleep and the rest of my teammates won’t be able to sleep.
We’ve got to get over it.”
Notes
In the playoffs, James is averaging 34.7 points on 55 percent shooting. … Howard has
had a double-double in all 15 postseason games. … The officials missed what should
have been a technical foul on Williams in the first quarter for throwing the ball at
Howard’s back. … An elderly man was taken for medical treatment after Williams
crashed into him while chasing a loose ball. As the fan was being transported from the
floor in a wheelchair, Williams came over and put his arm around him. The man was
back in his seat after halftime.