James, though, the kid from down the Interstate in nearby Akron, restored their confidence that this might finally be Cleveland's season.

"An amazing player," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "To have the wherewithal to have that type of confidence in yourself, to know there's one second on the clock and you're ending this thing right now ... not many people could do it. An amazing shot by an amazing player. That's what great players do."

Down by 23 in the second quarter the Magic, who won the opener by one point, were within 12 at halftime.

For a few seconds, it looked as if Turkoglu would be the hero and the Magic would be halfway to their first appearance in the finals since 1995.

James wouldn't allow it.

"I'm shocked anybody would make that shot," Howard said. "Everybody is watching. I know I won't be able to sleep and the rest of my teammates won't be able to sleep. We've got to get over it."

Notes

In the playoffs, James is averaging 34.7 points on 55 percent shooting. ... Howard has had a double-double in all 15 postseason games. ... The officials missed what should have been a technical foul on Williams in the first quarter for throwing the ball at Howard's back. ... An elderly man was taken for medical treatment after Williams crashed into him while chasing a loose ball. As the fan was being transported from the floor in a wheelchair, Williams came over and put his arm around him. The man was back in his seat after halftime.