Sports
Cleveland’s Victory and LeBron’s Buzzer Beater in Chicago Were a Complete Joke
Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, left, shoots the game-winning shot against Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler during the second half of Game 4 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series in Chicago on Sunday, May 10, 2015. The Cavaliers won 86-84. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Chris Chase, USA TODAY
(USA Today) — LeBron James’ buzzer beater in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals was perhaps a season-saving shot that was both a direct response to Derrick Rose’s similar buzzer beater two days earlier, a soothing moment 26 years after Craig Ehlo and an indirect announcement to the world that Chicago is MJ’s house no longer. It was also preceded by a number of NBA absurdities and technicalities that made the final seconds of the game and, thus, LeBron’s shot, a complete sham.
First, Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt tried to call a timeout he didn’t have at the start of Cleveland’s final possession with 8.4 seconds and the game tied at 84, a violation which should have resulted in a technical foul.
Officials didn’t see it and Cleveland’s rookie coach was saved from forever being mentioned in the same breath as Chris Webber. “I almost blew it,” Blatt said after the game, which gave the false impression that he didn’t blow it. He did, he just didn’t get caught.
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