The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off one of the great finishes in the NBA regular season on Tuesday night courtesy of Max Strus and an improbable longer-than-half-court shot.
The Dallas Mavericks thought they had pulled off a dramatic finish themselves when P.J. Washington hit a go-ahead layup with 2.1 seconds on the clock. But Stus had some magic up his sleeve.
The Cavs guard let loose a 59-foot shot at the buzzer to win the game in the most dramatic fashion possible, stunning NBA Twitter in the process.
The only thing better than the shot? The call from Tim Alcorn on Cavaliers radio.
Tim Alcorn radio call of Max Strus game-winner was epic
Here is Tim Alcorn on Cleveland Cavaliers radio with the call of Max Strus' incredible game-winner from half court against the Dallas Mavericks. pic.twitter.com/GEidepBQmg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 28, 2024
"This place is going crazy!" Alcorn exclaimed in the chaos.
And he was right. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was buzzing as fans lost their minds over the improbable ending.
WHAT AN ENDING!!!!!!!
— Nick Paulus (@NickPaulus) February 28, 2024
MAX STRUS IS A GOD!!!!!!!#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/w6n12BlQuT
The Mavs radio team couldn't believe their eyes.
And in the "agony of defeat" category is Mark Followill on the Dallas Mavericks television call of the Max Strus miracle.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 28, 2024
"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Max Strus I don't believe it!" pic.twitter.com/IoWDKL3e7N
Strus' effort was the second-longest game-winning shot since such things began to be tracked in 1997, according to NBA stats. It trailed only Devonte' Graham's 61.3-foot winner for the Pelicans in 2021.
Strus finished with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. All seven of his made shots were triples, going 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. Five of those three-pointers came in the final four minutes of the game. He was on fire.
Cleveland won 121-119, improving to 38-19 on the season. They're one game ahead of the Bucks at the top of the division but 7.5 games behind the Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference.