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Leading Off
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PHOTOGRAPH BY BILL SMITH
Banker's Hour It was a bad weekend for buzzers in the playoffs: They were constantly being beaten by some of the NBA's biggest names. It started last Friday in Chicago, where Derrick Rose went a long way toward putting three injury-plagued seasons behind him by banking home a 26-foot three-pointer as time expired to give the Bulls a 99--96 win over the Cavaliers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal. The shot capped a 30-point night for Rose and gave Chicago a 2--1 series lead, an advantage that would be gone after some more last-second heroics on Sunday.
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INSET BY KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI EPA
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PHOTOGRAPH BY NED DISHMAN NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Nothing But the Truth After the Verizon Center decibel level fell back to airport tarmac levels, 37-year-old Paul Pierce was asked if he called glass on the buzzer-beating fadeaway he buried to beat the Hawks 103--101 last Saturday in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semi. Said the Wizards forward known as the Truth, "I called, 'Game!'" It wasn't Pierce's first playoff buzzer beater--he had two while with the Celtics—but it was right up there on the drama meter, especially considering that Washington had blown a 21-point lead in the second half.
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INSET BY CURTIS COMPTON ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION/TNS/LANDOV
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PHOTOGRAPH BY JESSE D. GARRABRANT NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
King High, Flush With the Cavaliers nursing a two-point lead over Chicago in Game 4 on Sunday, LeBron James was called for an offensive foul with 14 seconds remaining. Derrick Rose tied the game at 84 with a layup five seconds later ... which left James more than enough time to atone for his foul and make some buzzer-beating magic of his own. With 1.5 seconds left he took an inbounds pass and, with Jimmy Butler in his face, drained a 21-footer to tie the series at two games apiece. Afterward James revealed that he was supposed to inbound the ball but called his own number instead. Good decision--he didn't use the backboard but took the shot to the bank.
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INSET BY NAM Y. HUH AP
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