Jones the hero this time for Cavs
WASHINGTON — With 15.1 seconds left in overtime, LeBron James sidled over to the foul line, patted Gilbert Arenas on the shoulder, and talked a little trash.
"I told him if he missed both of those free throws, the game was over," James said.
Arenas' account was slightly different, saying James told him: "If you miss this, you know who's hitting the game-winner."
Neither superstar could have suspected who really would wind up determining the outcome of another tremendous duel between James and Arenas. Damon Jones was on the court for all of 14.1 seconds Friday night in Game 6 — and, boy, did he make them count.
After Arenas went 0-for-2 from the line, Jones' 17-foot baseline jumper with 4.8 seconds left in the extra period lifted James' Cleveland Cavaliers to a 114-113 victory over the Washington Wizards.
"I didn't throw it, I shot it," Jones said. "Great form. Did you see it?"
Cleveland won the series 4-2 and heads to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1993.
"Damon Jones, self-proclaimed 'Best Shooter in the Universe,' hit a dagger," said James, who scored 32 points after hitting winning shots in the closing seconds of Games 3 and 5.
The Cavaliers had three one-point victories, the last two in overtime. There's little rest for the weary: They open the Eastern Conference semifinals at Detroit on Sunday.
Before turning his thoughts to that, though, James wanted to take a bit of time to relish his first taste of the NBA postseason.
"This is probably one of the best feelings I've had in a long time," James said. "To finally be a part of it — I didn't want to come here and just be happy to be in the playoffs."
There were so many momentum shifts, so many highs and lows, in a thrilling game that featured little defense and plenty of "He did what?!" moments.
That includes, of course, Arenas' foul-ups at the foul line — "You feel you let your team down," he said — but also his 30-foot 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. He finished with 36 points and 11 assists while playing all 53 minutes, just like James, whose line included seven assists and seven rebounds.
Jones, meanwhile, played fewer than 24 minutes the entire series, and he never set foot on the floor Friday until Cleveland's final possession, following a timeout.
He's bounced around 10 teams over eight seasons in the league, always able to find a job somewhere for a simple reason: He can shoot. So when Washington, as expected, threw a double-team quickly at James as the seconds ticked away, the ball eventually made its way to Jones near a corner.
"I've never come off of the bench like that, and had one possession to make a shot," Jones said. "I was going to either be the hero or the goat. Tonight I was the hero, so I'm glad. That's why I'm smiling."
Spurs 105, Kings 83
Tony Parker scored a playoff career-high 31 points and Tim Duncan had 15 as San Antonio closed out a series on the road for the seventh time in the last four playoffs and advanced to the West semifinals for the sixth consecutive season.
Mike Bibby scored 19 points and Bonzi Wells had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who were trying to become the third No. 8 seed to win a playoff series. Ron Artest had 11 points on 2-of-11 shooting while playing on an injured ankle.
