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Controversial free throws by Brown provide homecourt advantage
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008
PHILADELPHIA: In perhaps the most crucial moment of the Cavaliers season, the man controlling their fate was thinking about golf.
Amid a chaotic scene at the Wachovia Center on Monday night, with fans screaming, players and coaches barking and officials huddled around a television monitor, Devin Brown was pretending he was down in San Antonio by himself, ready to smack a tee shot.
Brown turned out to be the calmest influence in the final wild second of the Cavs' semi-miracle 91-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. The veteran guard made two highly controversial free throws with 0.2 seconds left to get the Cavs a win, one that locked up the No. 4 seed and homecourt advantage in the upcoming playoff series against the Washington Wizards.
The first round will start Saturday or Sunday at Quicken Loans Arena.
''You just go through your routine, just like a tee shot,'' Brown said. ''I just wanted to make sure I got enough air under them.''
He did and took the air out of the 76ers (40-41) in the same moment as they dropped from the No. 6 seed in the East to the No. 7 seed.
Brown got the shots after he was crashed into by 76ers center Samuel Dalembert. Only it wasn't that easy. After a series of tremendous offensive plays by both teams had the lead change six times, the Cavs (45-36) had the ball with five seconds left trailing by a point.
As expected, LeBron James got a chance at the last shot. But he stumbled as he tried to beat two 76ers defenders and ended up tossing up a weak shot. Dalembert looked like the hero, soaring over and blocking the shot with about a 1.5 seconds left.
But the ball found its way into Brown's hands and he forced up a desperation putback. Dalembert smashed into him and a whistle blew. A whistle almost nobody heard. Certainly not the fans, who started to scream. Kool and the Gang's Celebration was booming over
the sound system, and the Cavs were retreating to their locker room throwing towels and kicking empty cups.
But lead official Greg Williard had blown his whistle. He did not call a possible travel by James, he did not call a potential loose-ball foul on Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who perhaps shoved Dalembert into Brown as he chased James' miss. Then Williard followed the rules and asked for a video review, which showed blatantly that Brown was indeed bumped before the red light went on.
Ilgauskas, who had 22 points, said he bumped heads with Dalembert and didn't remember exactly what happened in the scrum. He and the 76ers center were icing their faces after the game.
''There was contact on the play by Dalembert,'' Williard said. ''The (replay) rule is set for that very purpose.''
Not that any of that was comforting to the 76ers, who had suffered a costly lost. After the final horn blew again, point guard Andre Miller, who had 26 points, punted the basketball into the stands and Dalembert glared as the Cavs mobbed Brown near their bench.
''You never envision something like that. It is what it is,'' said James, who had 27 points. ''We were due for a break. We had some calls go the wrong way and some plays go the wrong way. It was good to see it go our way for a change.''
Indeed the Cavs haven't had much luck this season.
Even in this moment there was a downside. Sasha Pavlovic, who had moved back into the starting lineup, suffered a severe left-ankle sprain in the third quarter. He had to leave the game in a wheelchair and will have an MRI today, but it is possible that his season is over.
That news was overshadowed in the short term by Brown, who had 13 points off the bench in place of Pavlovic. He also made a driving layup with 15 seconds left to keep the Cavs in it.
In the end, he never had a doubt he'd make the free throws, but he did wonder if he'd get the chance.
''I heard a whistle,'' Brown said. ''It was just a matter of them going back and looking at it. I didn't think they were going to change it because I wear 33, not 23.''
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/
PHILADELPHIA: In perhaps the most crucial moment of the Cavaliers season, the man controlling their fate was thinking about golf.
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