The Legend of LeBron

So many heroes have emerged in this year's exciting playoffs, but today LeBron James proved himself to be the biggest hero of them all.

After sweeping through their first eight playoff games, the Cavaliers looked like an unstoppable freight train to the NBA championship. But the Cavs finally met their match in this series as they crashed into the mighty Magic in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Their leader LeBron James declared Game 2 a must-win. Fans around the world branded Game 2 a must-watch.

A must-watch it was indeed. It had all the highlights and heartstopping plays that one would expect from a crucial Conference Finals game. But as the Cavs trailed by 2 with one second on the clock, it seemed that LeBron James would eat his words and plunge to a fatal 0-2 cliff. Nobody thought that the MVP would tumble down this easily to an underdog team. No one among the stunned crowd of Quicken Loans Arena expected that the Magic could win two straight against the NBA's top team.

Down 95-93 with a heartbeat remaining on the clock, the Cavaliers needed a miracle to resurrect a game which should have been theirs. And so with his team in peril and his pride at stake, LeBron James wanted to put the game into his hands. He ran to the far end of the three-point arc, took the inbounds pass from Mo Williams, raised his arms, and flicked a shot. One flick which could spell the difference between glory and damnation. One shot which could make or break the best season in his team's history.

It all came down to one impossibly difficult heave over the outstretched arms of a 6-10 defender, 23 feet away from the basket, and zero time. As the ball arced through its trajectory on air, I could feel my heart pounding in tension and hope. This is it... legend unfolding before my very eyes.

The ball went in.

The man simply refused to lose; he willed it in.

In his homecourt, with time against him and the whole world watching, LeBron James summoned every fiber of courage in his cavalier heart, and defied time and space to deliver a miracle over the Magic.

As the ball splashed through the net, time itself seemed to stop and pay its respects to the King. It was a moment of silent disbelief, an improbable shot that should not have been, but made possible by the unwavering determination of LBJ - the best basketball player on the planet.

A split second later, the crowd erupted. Everyone knew that amazing has just happened in Cleveland. At the end of the game, LeBron's Nike billboard was shown. We are all witnesses. Indeed, today I bore witness to the beauty of sport and the heroic determination of man.

Heroes are born in the unlikeliest circumstances, the brightest lights, the grandest stages. Heroes reverse the tides of history in their favor. They become the stuff of legend. Today, the MVP proved that legend can be crafted in one epic second. Today, LeBron James proved that he was the biggest hero of them all.