LeBron James Hits Buzzer Beating Game Winner!!! Series Tied. »

May 23, 2009 at 12:08 am | lebron-jamesnba-basketball

LeBron James made a fadeaway 3-pointer over Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu as the final horn sounded Friday night to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 96-95 victory over the Orlando Magic that evened the Eastern Conference finals at one game apiece. From 23 feet — matching his jersey number — James made a shot unlike any before in Cleveland history. Taking the inbounds pass from Mo Williams, James only had time to turn his shoulders toward the rim and fire. As the shot dropped in, James sprinted into the arms of his teammates as 20,562 stunned fans hugged in disbelief. The Cleveland Cavaliers needed a miracle. LeBron James delivered! Michael Jordan no longer has the most famous buzzer-beater in Cleveland sports history. The Shot has been topped. King James made one better. “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. We just couldn’t afford to go down 0-2, that’s just a great shot.”

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When LeBron was asked postgame if his shot evoked any memories of “The Shot” that heartbroken Cavalier fans remember all too well. “Well, that guy is not in the league anymore,” smiled James. “The other 2-three is on the good side now. That other 2-three is gone, so we don’t have to worry about that no more.” In 10 playoff games this year, LeBron James is averaging 34.7 points on .550 shooting, with 8.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game. LeBron now has 27 career 30-point games in the postseason (20-7). In two games against Orlando this postseason, James is averaging 42.0 points on .604 shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. LBJ became the third player in NBA playoff history to compile at least 300 points, 80 rebounds and 60 assists in the first 10 games of a single postseason (he has now done this twice).

Photos Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE via Getty Images. Photos by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images, Gregory Shamus/Getty Images, Elsa/Getty Images, David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images.

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