King James Dethroned By Upstart Chicago Bulls

The stage was set.

Down by one point with four seconds remaining, LeBron James took the ball with the game on the line in front of a packed Quicken Loan's Arena crowd on Thursday night.

We've seen it all play out before.  LeBron James sinks a buzzer beater for the win.

The crowd goes wild.

The Chicago Bulls had other plans.

James, hounded all night by Luol Deng, drove left of the lane and began to elevate when he ran into Joakim Noah.

Looking for the foul, James flung his arms out as the ball slipped out of bounds with 0.2 seconds on the clock.

Regicide ensued.

After an instant replay review, the officials ruled James last touched the ball, sparking wild celebrations on the Chicago bench.

For the Cavaliers, a team that went 40-2 at home all season last year, the second home defeat of the young season was less a disappointment than a punch to the gut.

After all, this is the Chicago Bull's we're talking about. 

Sure, they have a budding all-star in point guard Derrick Rose, and Luol Deng is finally showing some signs of life after two years of impotence, but this team isn't supposed to actually win a big game on the road, is it?

After Thursday night's gutty performance, the answer is a resounding yes.

Led by Derrick Rose's 14 points and 11 assists, Chicago beat Cleveland at their own game, on their own court.

Whether it was flashy moves to create space at the top of the key or finding the open man down-low for the easy jam, Rose did it all Thursday night.

Luol Deng also impressed with 15 points, including several big shots down the stretch.

Cleveland were once again hampered by an inability to play to James's strengths, which include pushing the ball and getting points in transition.

Some of head coach Mike Brown's decisions must also be called into question, including sitting James for a significant spell in the fourth quarter and playing Ilgauskas alongside O'Neal for long stretches.

Up by six with 2:26 left on the clock, the Bull's appeared to have the victory in hand, but two quick fouls and a Lebron James three-pointer cut the deficit to one.  And when the Bull's failed to get a shot off in time on their next possession, the Cavaliers were given a chance to steal the victory.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, King James came up short. 

And despite his best efforts to convince the officials otherwise, the Chicago Bulls left Cleveland with a big win under their belts and a 3-2 start to a suddenly promising season.