LeBron James Nails Buzzer-Beater to Stun Pacers in Game 5

The Cleveland Cavaliers appeared to be in trouble Wednesday as the Indiana Pacers battled back from a double-digit deficit to tie Game 5 of their first-round playoff series in the final minute.

Then LeBron James came to the rescue.

After blocking Victor Oladipo's attempt at a go-ahead layup with 3.3 seconds remaining, James calmly drained the winning three-pointer at the buzzer to clinch the 98-95 victory and a 3-2 series lead.

The buzzer-beater capped a brilliant performance from the four-time MVP. He finished with 44 points on on 14-of-24 shooting, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and he was one of only two Cavaliers players to score more than 11 points in the win (Kyle Korver had 19) .

With his heroics on both ends, James carried his team to the critical victory and avoided a situation where the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions would have needed to win Game 6 on the road just to stay alive.