Blakely Peppinger
Game Story
May 1, 2008
The go to man, Lebron James, misses the game winning shot at the buzzer as the Cleveland Caveliers fall in game 5 of the series to the Washington Wizards. Caron
Butler made a strong layup with 3.9 seconds left and the time on the clock was enough for the Caveliers to run the ball down the court. The ball was given to James and he missed the potential series-ending layup against the backboard and off the front of the rim ending the game with a 88-87 victory for the Wizards.
The series is now 3-2 for the Caveliers as the teams head to Washington for another match-up scheduled for Friday night. Washington Guard Gilbert Arenas will not finish playing in the series due to a knee injury
James held the game high of 34 points, which 24 were recorded in the second half. Butler was right behind that with 32 points for the night. Deshawn Stevenson added 17 points for the Wizards.
The Caveliers led by five with 1:50 left but Washington went on a scoring run in the last minute to end a five-game playoff losing streak in Cleveland. Cleveland had two missed 3-pointers in that final minute and Antonio Daniels hit two critical free throws.
Washington has been beaten by many last-second shots in past playoff games and as James drove into the lane, it looked as if the Wizards were going to lose it again against that final buzzer. After the miss by James, the Wizards celebration was certainly lead by Stevenson as he ran to midcourt to celebrate the victory.
James, who has withstood body blows throughout the series, felt he was fouled on his final shot but didn't make excuses.
''I thought it was going to go in,'' he said. ''It just didn't fall.''
A big turnaround for Wasington was Antawn Jamison's strong plays and 3-pointers in a 16-6 run putting Washington ahead 69-65 in the third quarter. The run gave the Wizards a strong momentum to keep the game close the entire fourth quarter.
The win is a mental booster for the Wizards and they will get to host the Caveliers on their home court Friday night for game 6 in the series.
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