James hits in clutch

CLEVELAND (AP) — There was a dramatic shot, a questionable call — or two — in the closing seconds and a frenzied crowd.

On an unseasonably warm night in March, it sure felt like June.

The NBA playoffs don’t start for another month. Tell that to the Magic and Cavaliers.

LeBron James dropped a long 3-pointer with 47.4 seconds left and added two clutch free throws with 8.7 seconds to go as Cleveland avoided just its second loss at home with a 97-93 win over Orlando on Tuesday night.

With Cleveland trailing 93-92 in a game soaked in postseason intensity, James, wearing green and white Nikes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, pulled up in front of Orlando’s bench and coldly knocked down his 3. It may have said “Irish” on the back of his shoes — his high school’s nickname — but there was no luck involved.

“That was just being confident. Being down one and taking a 3, a lot of people wouldn’t have done that,” James said. “I’m one of the guys who would do that. I knocked it down.”

On Orlando’s next possession, Magic center Dwight Howard was called for a 3-second violation by referee Jack Nies, giving the ball back to Cleveland.

A steamed Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy couldn’t fathom a whistle at that point.

“You won’t see that call again. That, I guarantee you,” Van Gundy said. “You will not see, with the game on the line, a 3-second call in the last 10 seconds. That’s part of the reason they’re 30-1 at home. They’re a very good team, and when you get calls like that [expletive)], you’re in pretty good shape.”

James, who scored 15 in the fourth, added 12 rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Mo Williams added 21 points for Cleveland, which held the Magic to 18 points in the fourth quarter and won its sixth straight.