May 10, 2015, Queens, NY A third buzzer beater in three days? Must be related. Must be “buzzers” from another mother. Lebron James hit a corner jumper with no time left to win a crucial game 4 over the Chicago Bulls, 86-84. On Friday, it was Derrick Rose who became a thorn in the Cavaliers’ side. On Saturday, it was Paul Pierce’s turn. He banked or clanked a game winner from beyond the arc to defeat the Atlanta Hawks. (When asked by ESPN’s Chris Broussard if he called “bank,” Pierce deadpanned and said, “I called game.” Best line in a long time.) On Sunday, (Mother’s Day), the Brothers Buzzer from a another mother wanted to add one more sibling to the fold. With less than two seconds left, Lebron James ran to the corner, fired, hit, and tied the series 2-2, when they could have and should have been down 3-1.
Stephen A. Smith was interviewed by Michael Wilbon after the game and all but declared the series over. Smith’s reasoning was that if Lebron hit only one third of his shots (10-30) from the field, and Kyrie Irving, who is obviously hobbled, shot 2-10 from the field and scored 12 points (going 8-8 from the freethrow line), that’s a winnable game for the Bulls . Lebron James scored 25 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and had 8 assists, but he made a crucial error down the stretch when he was called for an offensive foul. The Bulls got the ball back, and Derrick Rose scored tying the game at 84. Rose continued to play superbly and remind us that he was a league MVP. He scored 31 points in 41 minutes. J.R. Smith was a major contributor scoring 11 of his 13 points in the final period for the Cavaliers. Joaqim Noah scored 8 points on 4-12 shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds. Noah, who has been battling injuries all season, missed some critical layups that cost the Bulls. Iman Shumpert scored only 5 points but continued to play tough defense. Both teams shot poorly from the field. The Cavaliers shot 37.8% and the Bulls shot 36%. The Cavaliers turned the ball over 15 times while the Bulls had only 8 turnovers.
The series resumes in Cleveland on Tuesday, at 7:00 p.m. (EST), and will air on TNT. This series is far from over with each team proving that they can win on the other team’s court. Expect the Bulls to bounce back and play inspired basketball even if they don’t win game 5. But today, The Brothers Buzzer paid tribute to their Mother. Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, or for that matter, all women.
Professor Clifford Benton can be reached at cliffb@puresportsny.com.