One Second Maybe Changed History
With one second left on the clock, you can hope to make a game winning shot. But is it realistic to expect that is enough time? Isn’t that the type of situation which gave berth to the phrase “there is only time to put up a prayer.”
If LeBron James is on your team, maybe it is not a prayer. Or maybe it is a prayer that gets answered.
LeBron James Photo from AllPosters.com
Friday night in Cleveland in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals, one second was enough for James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Orlando Magic was ahead 95-93 with that one second left. They had just taken the lead on a jumper by Hedo Turkoglu. The Magic thought Turkoglu’s jumper from the free throw line was the game winner. After all, there was only :01.0 left on the clock.
The Cavs had to inbound the ball in their front court and get off a shot in that one second. Mo Williams made the pass and LeBron sank the game winner, a 3-pointer that gave Cleveland a 96-95 win.
At first it looked like LeBron would attempt an allie-oop shot. He broke toward the basket but Orlando’s Turkoglu blocked his path. James then reversed direction to run to the top of the 3-point arc.
His quick reversal created a few feet separation with Turkoglu. James took the pass from Williams and went straight up with a high arcing 3-pointer over Turkoglu’s outstretched hands.
It went in as time expired and maybe changed NBA history.
Why? Cleveland was favored before this series started. They were the higher seed and they had the 2009 NBA MVP LeBron James.
But there they were with one second left in the game, trailing by one point and on the edge of falling behind 2-0 in the series. Orlando won game one Wednesday by one point and with one second left last night, it looked like Orlando was going to pull out another close victory.
It looked like Cleveland’s dream of winning the 2009 title was fading fast. The crowd in Cleveland’s Quicken Arena was quiet, feeling one second wasn’t enough time. I was rooting for the Cavs and was hoping there was time.
Before the inbound pass, I remembered Derek Fisher’s catch and shoot game winner with 0.4 left for Los Angeles a few years ago. But that was such a miracle shot, it didn’t seem likely that Cleveland could produce a miracle shot like that.
It just didn’t seem like one second was enough. For LeBron it was, though.
“It was the biggest shot I’ve made in my career,” James said afterwards.
Thirty seconds before making the game winner, James might have been feeling unlucky. On Cleveland’s last two possession, LeBron had been unsuccessful.
With about a minute to go, LeBron drove the lane but had his shot blocked. On the next possession James was called for traveling in the lane. The score was tied 93-93 with 30.9 left when James was called for traveling. It looked like that might have ruined Cleveland’s last chance.
“I’m glad I could redeem myself,” James said afterward. “It definitely was a travel. It was a good job by the refs.”
Orlando has pushed James and the Cavaliers to the limit. James was so drained after the one point loss in game one, his legs cramped and he couldn’t immediately walk off the court.
In game two, things started well for the Cavs but the Magic refused to go away. Cleveland jumped to a 15-5 early lead and led 30-16 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter Cleveland expanded the lead to 43-20 behind strong play off the bench from Sasha Pavlovic.
Orlando then went on a 15-4 run and by halftime had cut the lead to 12, 56-44. The Magic pulled with six, 75-69, after three quarters.
That set up the dramatic fourth quarter. Cleveland led 82-73 with just under nine minutes left, then the Magic went on a 11-2 run to tie the game, 84-84.
Orlando took its first lead, 86-84, with 5:25 left on a driving basket in the lane by Courtney Lee. Cleveland took the lead right back on a 3-pointer by Williams and kept ahead until Turkoglu tied it 93-93 with a 3-pointer with 48 seconds to go.
That’s when LeBron tried to put Cleveland back ahead but was called for traveling. Orlando then used up most of the 24-second clock without getting a good shot and then caught a lucky break when Pavlovic was whistled for a questionable touch on Turkuglo.
That reset the 24-second clock and set up Turkoglu’s apparent game winner with :01 left.
LeBron had one more shot and he made it a great one, one that will live on in the NBA history books.
