LeBron's Big Night Finishes With A Miss

he Cleveland Cavaliers were down two with seconds remaining. Cavalier Nation -- this time, nearly 1,000 miles from the action -- was in panic mode, thousands certainly afraid to look at their televisions, thousands more certainly on the brink of tears.

Mo Williams was standing out of bounds with the ball in his hands, zeroed in on King James and King James alone. And the dream season was a swish or a miss away from either salvation or, for all intents and purposes, the end.

But this time, it would be more difficult. The Orlando Magic had learned their lesson after letting LeBron James squirt free for a game-winning 3-pointer in Game 2. This time, they put two defenders on him. This time, it seemed like he wouldn't even get the ball.

But he did, using what Magic coach Stan Van Gundy called a "tight end" move to shake loose from Mickael Pietrus and Courtney Lee.

He caught the pass from Williams, who was stationed beneath the Magic basket, in the backcourt with 3.2 seconds to play, and began racing toward the left sideline, eyeing the clock and preparing to fire.

But from the moment he let it go, he knew his 38-footer didn't contain a miracle, and as the buzzer sounded, it hit the backboard, short and to the left.

This time, there would be no talk of history, no talk of exorcising demons of seasons past. This time, James could not save the Cavs.

"I always feel like I can make any shot that I take," James said. "But as it traveled, it didn't look good. It felt good leaving my hand but didn't look good in the air."

Now nothing looks good for the Cavs.

Orlando's 116-114 overtime victory gave them a 3-1lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final, and if you think they'll come back and win the next three games, I've got a new pair of Nike Air Broussards to sell you for $350.

In the 62-year history of the NBA, 190 teams have taken a 3-1 lead in a playoff series, and 182 of them (or 95.6 percent) have won.

And that's not even to mention the Cavs' lousy history against this Magic team. A nightmare matchup if there ever was one, Orlando has now beaten Cleveland 10 times in 14 meetings over the last three years.