James' shot not exactly must-see TV for Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. - As if once wasn't enough, the Orlando Magic were forced to watch LeBron James' amazing buzzer-beater all day Saturday.
The Magic were witnesses all right. Again. And again. And again.
James' stunning fadeaway 3-pointer in Game 2 that tied the Eastern Conference finals was replayed countless times on TV sets from Cleveland to Orlando. It was also a fixture in the minds of Cavaliers fans basking in the win, and in the thoughts of Magic players wondering what could have been.
"It's tough when you got to go home and watch it on TV over and over again," Magic center Dwight Howard said.
The shot saved the Cavaliers from a daunting 0-2 hole, and already was being talked about as one of the greatest moments in Cleveland sports history. There's just one downside for the Cavs.
"It is over and done with," James said.
For all the drama and emotion surrounding the riveting shot, the Cavaliers have plenty to fix if they want to reclaim homecourt advantage when the series shifts to Orlando for Game 3 on tonight.
The Magic ripped their defense apart, exposed their lack of depth and roared back from a double-digit deficit for the second straight game. Now the NBA's top-seeded team heads to Orlando, where it lost both games this season, including a 29-point blowout in April in which it trailed by as many as 41.
But one shot made all of that seem like a distant memory.
"To go on the road, one second from being down 0-2, going to Orlando and from zero seconds the shot goes in to being 1-1 going on the road, it is a good feeling for us," James said. "We can carry this momentum."
It's an all too familiar feeling for Orlando.
The Magic have been last-second losers four times this postseason. Boston's Glen Davis hit a jumper as time expired in Game 4 of their second-round series. Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young each hit a shot in the final seconds for wins in the opening round, forcing the Magic to again watch another team celebrate as they walked slowly to the locker room in defeat.
Any carry-over seems unlikely.
Orlando responded well after each of the previous heartbreakers, winning the following games against Philadelphia and nearly taking Game 5 against the Celtics before blowing a big fourth-quarter lead.
The Magic, a streaky shooting team that can dazzle at times and disappear during some games, overcame a 23-point deficit in Game 2 as skittish Cleveland fans covered their mouths in disbelief, with Hedo Turkoglu hitting a 12-footer in the lane to put Orlando ahead by 2 with one second left.
Cleveland called timeout and drew up a play for James. The league's MVP darted toward the basket, cut back near the top of the circle, caught the ball and let loose a shot over Turkoglu that sent those same fans hugging and cheering in an all-too-good state of shock.