Events Calendar
In This Section
McMANAMON: Promises look promising for Browns
DeRosa's trade smells like fire sale for Tribe
McMANAMON: DeRosa trade smells like a fire sale
O'Neal trade not without risks, but rewards are greater
Shaq will be more than a player for Cavs
Cavs have desire, cash to move up
New Zealand football team arrives in Ohio
Patrick McManamon: Manager is just one of Tribe's many issues
Most Read Stories
Blogs:
Pets:
Summit teams up with Rescue Waggin' to save dogs
The Heldenfiles:
Songs for an American Day
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Opponent outlook: Northern Illinois
Browns Bulletin:
Single-game ticket sales begin July 11
Tribe Matters:
Laffey making it tough on self
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth test showed marijuana
Kent State Sports:
Men's Basketball Scheduling update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Updated: Free Agency: Another Gone - Apparently
All Da King's Men:
IPCC Already Wrong About Global Warming
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Wow….Sarah Palin Resigns Governorship
Akron Law Café:
Abraham Lincoln and the Fourth of July
Varsity Letters:
Highland senior receives honor
See Jane Style:
Picnic Wear
Car Chase:
Where do We Go from Here?
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Hate Crime in Fort Worth Texas: "That F***t had it Coming"
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Linda asks-where is the Ohio Chautauqua?
Sound Check:
Rundgren fans rejoice!: Second night of AWATS at The Civic added
HRLite House:
Morscruethal Behaviors or Just Lip Service?
Akron Gamer:
Hot link: Best of Nintendo at E3
LeBron has words for mom
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal columnist
Published on Tuesday, May 13, 2008
CLEVELAND: It happened with 1:45 remaining in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
That's when LeBron James provided that moment for the highlight films, YouTube and the coffee-pot discussions at work today.
Whether it's a moment that energizes the Cavs through this series that is now tied depends on how they fare the final three games.
But it most definitely was a moment to savor, and to remember.
With the Cavs leading the Boston Celtics 82-75, James took the ball at the top of the key. He dribbled around a Joe Smith pick to get by Paul Pierce. He juked left and went around James Posey to get to the lane. He took off from just outside the lane, right arm extended. He jumped high and windmilled a slam dunk, right over Kevin Garnett, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
The crowd atQuicken Loans Arena went into a frenzy
after James beat three-fifths of the NBA's best defensive team.
Garnett tried to hit James in the chest while he was in the air, but there was no stopping this slam. A Boston timeout followed, and it turned into a celebration as the Celtics trudged to their bench.
The play was shown on the big screen.
One time.
Two times.
Three times.
Each time, the crowd roared as the ball went in, at the combination of skill and power that only a player like James can provide.
Time remained, but this hard-fought game was over.
And the home crowd, which provided a lift to the home team from the moment it started roaring prior to the game, celebrated with a fervor that pushed the walls of the building.
Do not minimize the home court. The crowd at the Q was a huge factor — to the point that Wally Szczerbiak stood on the scorer's table to wave a towel at them when the game ended.
The numbers will say that James shot 7-for-20, but his game provided so much more to his team — especially in the deciding fourth quarter.
This game was close the entire second half, and the Cavs led 71-69 when James set up Daniel Gibson for a 3-pointer.
That was the first of the Cavs' last seven baskets. James had assists on four of them. On another, he made a 3-pointer. And the other play was his dunk to remember.
Six of the final seven baskets were either scored or set up by James.
His shots weren't falling, but in the end, James had 13 assists — and the dunk that started a party at the Q and deflated the Celtics' fading hopes.
Boston played a fourth quarter to forget, shooting 5-for-16 and scoring just 12 points. Several of the Celtics' misses were bad ones. And Kevin Garnett, who was so strong in the first half with 13 points, scored two points in the second half.
Two points.
Garnett inexplicably sat nearly the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. In a key stretch of the game, he was on the bench while Glen Davis (aka ''Big Baby'') was on the court.
But even when Garnett returned, the Celtics could not make a basket.
Paul Pierce (6-for-17) bricked a 3. Sam Cassell missed a 3. P.J. Brown made a short jumper. (That's right, on a team with Ray Allen, Pierce and Garnett, P.J. Brown took and made the shot.) Cassell missed again and with the score 76-73, Garnett missed a short jump shot, Pierce missed a layup and Garnett missed a 16-footer.
James followed that miss with his 3 from the side — right in front of Boston's bench.
It all led to the dunk that sealed the deal.
The series now heads to Boston for Game 5, and the Cavs and Boston are tied two games each when James is shooting 20-for-78 (26 percent).
But in the past two games, James got a lot of help.
Monday, Anderson Varejao played outstanding defense on Garnett, who started 4-for-4 and missed nine of his last 11 shots.
Varejao played his usual herky-jerky style, and for whatever reason, it seemed to bother Garnett. Varejao also had 12 points, including the Cavs' final four.
Szczerbiak heard chants of ''Wally, Wally'' after hitting some big shots.
Daniel Gibson came off the bench to score 14, including that big 3 in the fourth quarter.
And Joe Smith again was steady and solid off the bench, with eight points and six rebounds — including a couple of key ones in the fourth quarter.
Overall, the Cavs held the Celtics to 38.6 percent shooting — outstanding defense against a team that won 66 times in the regular season.
And the first half was a story in itself. It even included James telling his mother to — umm . . . return to her seat after Pierce had grabbed James on a breakaway.
The crowd roared at what it thought was a flagrant foul (it wasn't), and Gloria James stood up and got in the midst of Pierce, James and Kevin Garnett. While Garnett tried to talk nice to Gloria, James (to paraphrase) told her to ''sit your posterior down.''
''I told her to sit down in language I shouldn't have used,'' James said. ''Thank God [it] wasn't Mother's Day.''
The Cavs led by two at halftime, setting up the furious finish when the Cavs stopped the Celtics and made some key shots.
Especially the dunk that folks will be talking about for a long, long, long time.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/
CLEVELAND: It happened with 1:45 remaining in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
