Did you ever watch those old “Superman” shows and wonder why he was able to stop bullets with his chest but ducked when they threw a revolver at him?
Well, this time the Cleveland Cavaliers’ superman didn’t flinch.
Condemned and questioned throughout the Eastern Conference finals for either shooting or not shooting, LeBron James saved the day and his team with 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to lead the Cavs to an 88-82 victory Sunday over the Detroit Pistons.
Cleveland cut Detroit’s lead in the best-of-seven series to 2-1 with Game 4 here Tuesday night.
“I just wanted to try to be aggressive,” James said. “And I made a big shot. In order for us to win, I have to be aggressive like this.”
James hit a three-pointer with 2 minutes 34 seconds left and a 16-foot jumper in the last 23 seconds to give Cleveland its first win in the conference finals since May 25, 1992, against the Bulls.
The big shots were among several in the fourth quarter, including a spectacular driving dunk over Rasheed Wallace.
But with the Pistons fighting back behind a pair of improbable Chauncey Billups shots and pulling within 84-82 with 31.8 seconds left, James worked Richard Hamilton along the right side for a smooth jumper — and made it a series.
Though Billups hit three of his last four shots, he had gone 1-for-10 before that.
He and Hamilton were a combined 6-for-22 in another abysmal shooting effort for the Pistons.
James wasn’t around for what locals call “the Miracle of Richfield,” when the Cavs played at the Richfield Coliseum in 1976 and lost a six-game heartbreaker in the conference finals to Boston after never having even made the playoffs in franchise history.
So James called on his 22 years and decided Sunday was the biggest day in Cavs history and that he would be up to it.
“This is the biggest game of my life as an individual, probably the biggest game ever in Cavalier history,” James said before the game. “I have to recognize that, and I have to be prepared. It’s all out.”
It was so big that James said in his memory it rivaled games in his senior year in high school against Oak Hill Academy and for the state championship.
It’s how the kids see the world today in sports: BSC and ASC. That’s Before “SportsCenter” and After “SportsCenter.”
And so in his highlight era, James tried to make the game one for his own DVD.
The old Cavs had a scrapbook.
James scored 19 points in the first half, matching his previous high in the first two games. He came into the game attacking the basket after mostly settling on the perimeter the first two games.
The great mystery of the Cavs is why, with the spectacular James, they spend so much time in a half-court, defense-oriented game.
The Cavs are a conundrum. They are a team dominated by offensive players playing defensively — and too carefully.
The Pistons have uncharacteristically been burdened by turnovers in this series, but the Cavs have rarely taken advantage. James did twice in the first four possessions as the Cavs jumped ahead 7-0.
“At home they run a lot more,” Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. “We’ve had success on the road, and part of the reason is our ability not to turn the basketball over and our ability to control tempo.”
