Mike Brown had no choice but to entrust the final possession to the young James.
"LeBron, the last shot is up to you!"
Mike Brown didn't put too much pressure on James, just offered a simple encouragement.
With only 1.1 seconds left, it was far too short for the Cavaliers to run a full offensive play, nor was there enough time to use the home-court advantage to attack the rim and draw fouls.
So, Mike Brown could only try his luck, letting James take an extreme shot and see how the Cavaliers' luck would fare that day, and how James's personal luck would hold up.
On the Celtics' side, He Xi Meng suggested to coach that they replace Gortat with Ariza, forming a small-ball defensive lineup of one big and four smalls.
Yao Ming was to go to the sideline to disrupt the Cavaliers' inbound pass, while Diaw, Ariza, Carter, and He Xi Meng would switch seamlessly, ensuring at least one person was always guarding James closely, absolutely preventing him from getting an easy shot.
After the timeout, the Cavaliers ran a double-screen play. James used the staggered screens from Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to forcefully break free from the Celtics' multiple pursuers, receiving a low pass from Snow near the left sideline.
Upon receiving the ball, James had no time to dribble. He immediately turned around and, facing the flying Ariza, opted for an extremely long-range pull-up jump shot.
Ariza's defense was clean and effective. His hand was almost in James's face, yet he committed no foul.
And for James, at this spot, at this time, with this move, he had certainly never made such a crucial shot before.
This shot was incredibly difficult! As the ball was still in the air, the countdown clock lit up.
But the Son of Destiny was different.
Even in his first attempt of his career, with all the Cleveland fans watching, James sank the buzzer-beater!
86:84, James helped the Cavaliers come from behind to defeat the Celtics!
James pounded his chest and roared, raising his head and spreading his arms, fully soaking in the cheers of the crowd.
In that moment, he experienced the supreme glory of being the King of Cleveland.
This glory, he was deeply infatuated with.
After the game, He Xi Meng generously offered his congratulations to James.
James grinned in thanks and, not forgetting, issued a challenge to He Xi Meng: "In the next game, we will play even better..."
He Xi Meng raised an eyebrow, offering no comment.
Game 4 continued in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers tried the same tactic, still aiming to win with defense.
However, compared to Game 4, the Celtics were more mentally prepared for the Cavaliers' defense.
The Cavaliers' attempts to contain them were somewhat ineffective.
Fortunately, besides James, Zydrunas had a hot hand today, scoring consecutive post-ups against Yao Ming with turn-around jumpers.
Add to that Varejao off the bench, who had an unexpected explosive outing today, shooting 6 of 7 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line for 16 points, effectively supplementing the Cavaliers' offensive firepower.
The Cavaliers once again battled the Celtics down to the final moments of the game.
He Xi Meng drove to the basket, drawing a foul on the trailing Snow. He Xi Meng made both free throws, giving the Celtics a two-point lead at 93:91.
James retaliated in kind, using his driving skills to draw a foul on the rotating Gortat. James also made both free throws, tying the score for the Cavaliers.
He Xi Meng once again chose to drive, but this time, the Cavaliers collapsed, doubling-teamed He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng had been waiting for the Cavaliers' full team trap.
Before the Cavaliers' double-team completely closed in, He Xi Meng, exploiting a momentary gap, delivered a pinpoint pass to Carter, who was at the three-point line!
Neither James nor any other Cavaliers player expected that, with the game ending, He Xi Meng would still opt for a three-pointer.
Even more critically, Carter’s precise positioning allowed him to receive He Xi Meng’s pass and, without hesitation, pull up for a shot!
The ball arced beautifully and went in!
96:93, with 15 seconds left in the game, the Celtics extended their lead, now by three points! This put them in an almost unbeatable position.
One dared to pass, and the other dared to shoot!
James looked at the two of them, speechless: "You can't just bully people like this..."
With 15 seconds and a three-point deficit, Mike Brown instructed James to quickly go for a three-pointer. If he missed, there was still a chance to fight for the offensive rebound, and if that failed, the option to intentionally draw a foul still existed.
Mike Brown's plan was thorough, and the Cavaliers executed it meticulously.
James wanted to score with one shot and tie the game.
But the excellent shooting touch from the previous game wasn't something that could be summoned at will.
James's hurried three-point attempt missed. Drew Gooden grabbed the offensive rebound and turned to shoot, only to be met with a huge block from Yao Ming.
Snow, on the perimeter, grabbed the loose ball again and, weaving through the crowd, got the ball back to James just before the final buzzer sounded!
James caught the ball and shot, almost as the final buzzer blared.
The Cleveland fans in the arena all stood up, hoping for another miracle.
But alas, James was as unlucky in this game as he was lucky in the last.
In the final 15 seconds, James had two opportunities for three-point shots but failed to capitalize on either, missing the chance to lead his team into overtime.
The Cavaliers lost by three points, surrendering their second home game. More crucially, the Cavaliers trailed the Celtics 1-3 in the series, their fate hanging by a thread.
With a 1-3 deficit, was there a chance for a comeback?
There was. In the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, the Suns, trailing the Lakers 1-3, achieved a stunning reversal, ultimately defeating the Lakers 4-3 to advance.
But the Lakers were the Lakers, and the Celtics were the Celtics.
The Lakers gave the Suns an opportunity; would the Celtics give the Cavaliers a chance?
In Game 5, a worried James led the Cavaliers to the North Garden Arena.
If they were playing at home, James felt his team still had a fighting chance, but coming to the opponent's court, to the Celtics' hallowed ground, stealing a victory was something James, despite his outward bravado, truly doubted.
The subsequent game unfolded exactly as James had feared.