NBA Insider with Ken Berger

If LeBron James and Mike Brown are still waiting to get a call on the road on the final shot of a playoff game, they are going to be waiting a long time.

They are going to be waiting a lot longer than it will take the experienced, poised, surgically lethal Pistons to send them home for the summer.

Was LeBron fouled by Richard Hamilton when he drove to the basket with seven seconds left in Game 2 Thursday night? Technically, yes. Watch it here to judge for yourself. But I have other problems with what transpired down the stretch and don’t think the Cavs lost because the referees swallowed their whistles.

First of all, the non-call was entirely consistent with how the game was called throughout to that point. Granted, had Hamilton been called for hitting LeBron’s arm, it wouldn’t have been a bailout call because James was entirely under control and still had a good look at the basket. But in a game that close, in a situation that intense and pressure-packed, you cannot rely completely on a middle-aged man in a black-and-white striped shirt to win the game for you.

Which brings me to my second point: Down 1 with 24 seconds left out of a timeout following Rasheed Wallace’s baseline rain-maker over James, why, oh why did the Cavs go for the last shot in a road playoff game? I don’t care if it’s LeBron James or Henry James with the ball in his hands, the correct strategy is to try to get a quick two to extend the game – not risk your entire season on one shot. At least LeBron took the shot after passing to Donyell Marshall at the end of Game 1, but he didn’t get it right this time, either. Quite simply, it shouldn’t have been the last shot.

If LeBron had gone into his move to the basket early in the shot clock, the absolute worst-case scenario would’ve been a missed shot or turnover. In that case, there would’ve been plenty of time to foul and send the Pistons to the line. Even if they made both free throws, Cleveland still would’ve had time to come down with a chance to tie it on a three-pointer and send the game to overtime.

If LeBron had made the shot and/or gotten a whistle earlier in the shot clock, the Cavs could’ve dug in on defense and tried to win the game with a stop. Instead, their inexperience, and the inexperience of their coach, was exposed in a glaring way. LeBron dribbled the clock out at the top of the key and left himself only one option – drive to the basket and hope for the best. The best didn’t happen, and usually doesn’t on the road when it comes to expecting a whistle to win you a playoff game.

My colleague and friend, Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com, obviously disagrees strenuously with my take. He actually writes that Brown should have protested more; I guess stomping onto the court and making a scene that earned him a technical foul wasn’t protest enough.

Brian Windhorst of the Akron Beacon-Journal takes a little more balanced look at how things unraveled down the stretch for the Cavs.

The best thing about all of this: We are watching the growth of LeBron on the big stage in a way that is thrilling, albeit imperfect. There have been two games, and two controversial last-second situations revolving around LeBron. How many more of those there will be this season depends on how the Cavs handle themselves in crunch time on their home floor in the next two games.