© Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
When LeBron James sank the Chicago Bulls in the 2015 NBA Playoffs with a tough buzzer-beating jumper
LeBron James and the Chicago Bulls had numerous memorable Playoff battles from the time when the King was still playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 2015 Playoffs included one of the best and most iconic moments between these two teams. With just seconds left in Game 4, James sunk a tough buzzer-beating jumper over Jimmy Butler to give Cleveland the win and tie the semifinal series at 2-2.
Chicago heartbreaker
The moment came just a few days after Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose hit an improbable three-pointer in Game 3 to give them a 2-1 series lead.
LeBron, though, would not let Game 4 slip away. With the game tied at 84 and just 1.5 seconds left on the clock, LeBron broke free from Butler, slipping away to the corner where he received an inbound pass from Matthew Dellavedova. He then rose up and swished the jumper right before the final buzzer sounded to hand the Cavs the victory.
Took control
According to LeBron, head coach David Blatt drew up a play for the King to make the inbound pass. He then scrapped that play and took on the responsibility of taking the last shot. Win or lose, LeBron said, he was taking the shot.
"I was supposed to take the ball out," James said. "I told Coach there was no way I'm taking the ball out unless I could shoot it over the backboard and go in. So I told him, 'Have somebody else take the ball out.' The play that was drawn up, I scratched it. I just told Coach, 'Just give me the ball. We're either going to go into overtime, or I'm going to win it for us.'"
The Bulls would not win another game in this series, as they lost 4-2. Cleveland, on the other hand, made it all the way to the NBA Finals but lost 4-2 against the Golden State Warriors.
