CHICAGO -- LeBron James wasn't having his best day, shooting just 10 of 30 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range. But the four-time MVP made the shot that mattered the most.
With 1.5 seconds left in Game 4, and his team facing the prospect of falling behind the series 3-1, James drilled a deep 2 from the corner pocket to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a dramatic 86-84 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon at the United Center.
The shot not only knotted the best-of-7 Eastern Conference showdown at 2-2, it allowed the Cavs to regain home court advantage. Game 5 is Tuesday night (Wednesday AM in Manila) at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
James came two dimes short of a triple-double with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists.
"I told Coach,'just give me the ball. We're either going to go into overtime or I'm going to win it for us," James said of his winning basket, which required scratching an original drawn play which LeBron was supposed to inbound the ball.
"There was no way I was taking the ball out," James added.
Four other Cavs logged double figured in points. Kyrie Irving, hobbling with a sore foot, and Tristan Thompson each had 12 with Thompson adding 7 boards. Timofey Mozgov shined with 15 markers and 9 rebounds while J.R. Smith knocked down three 3s to finish with 13.
The Cavaliers, the No.2 seeds in the East, managed to shoot just 29 of their 75 field goals, including 5-for-25 from long distance. But they controlled the boards, 44-40, and had 16 assists against the 12 from the Bulls, who shot 36 percent from the field (32 of 89) and 9 of 21 from 3-land (42.9 percent).
Derrick Rose sizzled with 31 for the Bulls while Jimmy Butler had 19 and 5 boards. No other Bull registered double figures in points as the team went through some dry spells that allowed Cleveland to recover from an 11-point third quarter deficit.
"There's nothing you can do about it," Rose said in reference to James' buzzer-beater." He hit a great shot."
For the sixth-seeded Bulls, the road just got tougher as the series has now been reduced to a best-of-3 with Cleveland hosting two at home, including a potential Game 7.
Photo: LeBron James sticks a dagger in the Bulls' heart, drilling a fall away jumper to lift Cleveland to a thrilling Game 4 win over Chicago on Sunday. That series is now tied at 2-2.
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