LeBron James hits a buzzer-beater of his own to even series

For a second straight game, it all came down to a miraculous buzzer-beater.

In Game 3, Derrick Rose played the role of hero with a buzzer-beating triple. On Sunday, it was LeBron James' turn. With 1.5 seconds remaining in a tied game, James caught an inbounds pass and drained a fallaway jumper deep in the corner as the buzzer sounded to help Cleveland to the 86-84 victory.

James' shot capped a 29-16 run for the Cavaliers to close out the game. The Bulls' offense went ice cold for much of the fourth, which allowed James and J.R. Smith to build up a lead that they nearly relinquished, if not for James' heroics.

The win knots the hard-fought series at 2-2.

Turning Point

For a moment, it looked like the Cavaliers had choked once more.

A five-point flurry by Rose brought the Bulls to within three points. Then, after a pair of free throws by James, Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler salvaged a broken possession by nailing a pull-up 3-pointer.

Still, the Cavaliers held a two-point edge with 21 seconds left. But they also blew that lead after three failed attempts to safely inbound the ball. On the third try, James caught the ball near halfcourt and committed an offensive foul by elbowing Mike Dunleavy as the Bulls applied pressure in the form of a double-team. The Bulls subsequently went the other way, leading to a Rose layup.

That's when controversy struck. Cavaliers head coach David Blatt tried to call a timeout with none remaining, but the officials didn't notice. Had Blatt been caught, he would have been assessed a technical foul and the Bulls would have gained possession.

Instead, James raced the length of the court and was met at the rim by Joakim Noah, who looked to have fouled James while challenging James' drive. No whistle was blown and the Cavaliers were forced to inbound with 1.5 seconds remaining.

But that gave James more than enough time to sink his dagger.

After the game, James tipped his hand regarding the play-call.

"I just told [Matthew Dellavedova] to give me the ball," James said. "I'm going to get open. Get me the ball and I'm going to win this game for us."

Star Performer

From looking at the boxscore, it looked like a rough outing for James. The four-time MVP only scored 25 points on 10-of-30 shooting, while adding in 14 rebounds and eight assists against eight turnovers.

But it's the context that matters. With Kyrie Irving (12 points on 2-of-10 shooting) noticeably hobbled, James was the only capable initiator of the Cavaliers' sputtering and unimaginative offense.

James also rolled his left ankle on a collision with Rose in the third quarter. In rather superhuman fashion, James immediately returned to the game and played the rest of the way.

Highlight Reel

Derrick Rose does the impossible:

Tom Thibodeau wants Jimmy to go to work:

Yeezy caught slipping:

Series at a Glance

Game 1: Bulls 99, Cavaliers 92 (Bulls lead 1-0)
Game 2: Cavaliers 106, Bulls 91 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: Bulls 99, Cavaliers 96 (Bulls lead 2-1)
Game 4: Cavaliers 86, Bulls 84 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: Tuesday, May 12, 7:00 p.m. ET
Game 6: Thursday, May 14, TBD, 8:00 p.m. ET
Game 7*: Sunday, May 17, TBD

* If necessary