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James' buzzer-beater lifts Cavaliers over Magic

May 23, 2009 - 5:21 AM By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND(AP) -- Michael Jordan no longer has the most famous buzzer-beater in Cleveland sports history.

The Shot has been topped.

LeBron James made one better.

James dropped a 3-pointer from the top of the key over Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu 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, 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.

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 scored 23 points and Turkoglu had 21 for the Magic, who have now lost four games at the buzzer in these playoffs. Dwight Howard 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.

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, 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.

By the end of the third they had cut it to six, and when Lewis backed down Delonte West 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.

"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.