By Paul Levine May 6, 2006, 17:03 GMT
Los Angeles - Washington Wizards' Gilbert Arenas gave Damon Jones a chance to be the hero, and the seldom-used Cleveland Cavaliers' sharpshooter grabbed the opportunity.
The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James tackles Damon Jones after making the shot that won game 6 in their series against the Washington Wizards in the first round Eastern Conference playoff at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC on Friday 05 May 2006. Cleveland won the game 114 to 113 in overtime to end the series. EPA/CALEB JONES
Jones buried the game-winning jumper with 4.8 seconds left in overtime to lift the Cavaliers to a thrilling 114-113 victory over the host Wizards, and wrap up the opening round of their Eastern Conference playoff series in six games.
'It's all about opportunities,' said Jones, whose 15-second appearance and only shot of the night, resulted in his unlikely heroics.
The Wizards had a final chance to pull out the victory and force a Game Seven, but Caron Butler's 3-pointer bounced off the front of rim at the buzzer.
Jones was quickly tackled by his teammates, after sending the Cavaliers to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, where they will meet the top-seeded Detroit Pistons beginning Sunday.
LeBron James scored 32 points, Donyell Marshall had 28 and Flip Murray chipped in with 22 off the bench for Cleveland, which was making its first post-season appearance since 1998.
'This is probably one of the best feelings I've had in a long time,' said James, who averaged 35 points in the series and hit last second winners in Games Three and Five. 'It took me two years to be here, and to finally be a part of it, I didn't want to come here and just be happy to be in the playoffs. I wanted to try to win a playoff series, and we did a great job of doing that.'
Jones' heroics would not have been possible if not for Arenas, who led Washington with 36 points and 11 assists. The All-Star guard drilled a long 3-pointer from the right wing with 2.3 seconds left to send the game into overtime knotted at 107-apiece.
However, Arenas quickly went from hero to zero. With Wizards ahead, 113-112, the 80 per cent career foul shooter, missed two potential game-sealing free throws with 15.3 seconds remaining.
'They gave us a chance and we didn't capitalize,' Arenas said. 'We got it in the overtime with the 3-point shot, and I had a chance to seal the game with two free throws but I missed them both.'
Added Arenas: 'It's hard to swallow. You feel like you let your team down, you feel like you let your city down. But I can't let those two missed free throws define my life.'
Zydrunas Ilgauskas grabbed the rebound. After a timeout, James received the inbounds pass and was two-teamed before hitting Hughes with a bounce pass. Hughes found Jones in the left corner for the wide-open jumper.
'They were double-teaming me as soon as I got the ball,' James said. 'So, I quickly swung it to Larry. They blitzed him and Jones, self-proclaimed best shooter in the universe hit the dagger.'
Antonio Daniels tallied 22 points, while Caron Butler had 18 and 20 rebounds for Washington, which lost three games in the final seconds.
Elsewhere:
San Antonio Spurs 105, Sacramento Kings 83:
Frenchman Tony Parker erupted for 14 of his playoff career-high 31 points in the game-breaking third quarter, as the Spurs routed the Kings to wrap up their Western Conference opening round playoff series in six games.
'It was one of the best games we played,' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. 'Our defence was as good as it's been, and Tony was spectacular.
'He shot the ball, he made free throws, and he got the ball where we wanted it to go against a very good team. We just had a great night.'
Bruce Bowen had 16 points and Tim Duncan added 15 for the defending NBA champions Spurs, who will host well-rested Dallas beginning Sunday in the opener of the conference semifinals. The Mavs completed a four-game sweep over Memphis last Monday.
Mike Bibby led Sacramento with 19 points, and Bonzi Wells had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Ron Artest, who sprained his right ankle late in the first half, chipped in with 11 points on just 2-of-11 shooting.
The Spurs ended the first half by scoring the final five points and broke the game open in the third quarter with a 16-3 surge. Bowen buried consecutive 3-pointers and Brent Barry drilled another triple to open a 61-41 cushion.
The Kings never came closer than 14 points in the final period.
'The third quarter they just took over,' Kings coach Rick Adelman explained. 'When we stumbled they took advantage. Give the Spurs credit. They're the world champions for a reason. They came in here, did what they were supposed to do and finished us off.'
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