WASHINGTON - With 15.1 seconds left in overtime, LeBron James sidled over to the foul line, patted Gilbert Arenas on the shoulder, and talked a little trash. "I told him if he missed both of those free throws, the game was over," James said.

Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, top, and Damon Jones, bottom, celebrate after Jones hit the game-winning shot in overtime against the Washington Wizards to clinch their first-round NBA playoff basketball series Friday, May 5, 2006 in Washington. The Cavaliers won 114-113. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Arenas' account was slightly different, saying James told him: "If you miss this, you know who's hitting the game-winner."

Neither superstar could have suspected who really would wind up determining the outcome of another tremendous duel between James and Arenas. Damon Jones was on the court for all of 14.1 seconds Friday night in Game 6 — and, boy, did he make them count.

After Arenas went 0-for-2 from the line, Jones' 17-foot baseline jumper with 4.8 seconds left in the extra period lifted James' Cleveland Cavaliers to a 114-113 victory over the Washington Wizards.

"I didn't throw it, I shot it," Jones said. "Great form. Did you see it?"

Cleveland won the series 4-2 and heads to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

"Damon Jones, self-proclaimed 'Best Shooter in the Universe,' hit a dagger," said James, who scored 32 points after hitting winning shots in the closing seconds of Games 3 and 5.

The Cavaliers had three one-point victories, the last two in overtime. There's little rest for the weary: They open the Eastern Conference semifinals at Detroit on Sunday.

Before turning his thoughts to that, though, James wanted to take a bit of time to relish his first taste of the NBA postseason.

"This is probably one of the best feelings I've had in a long time," James said. "To finally be a part of it — I didn't want to come here and just be happy to be in the playoffs."

There were so many momentum shifts, so many highs and lows, in a thrilling game that featured little defense and plenty of "He did what?!" moments.

That includes, of course, Arenas' foul-ups at the foul line — "You feel you let your team down," he said — but also his 30-foot 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. He finished with 36 points and 11 assists while playing all 53 minutes, just like James, whose line included seven assists and seven rebounds.

Jones, meanwhile, played fewer than 24 minutes the entire series, and he never set foot on the floor Friday until Cleveland's final possession, following a timeout.

He's bounced around 10 teams over eight seasons in the league, always able to find a job somewhere for a simple reason: He can shoot. So when Washington, as expected, threw a double-team quickly at James as the seconds ticked away, the ball eventually made its way to Jones near a corner.

"I've never come off of the bench like that, and had one possession to make a shot," Jones said. "I was going to either be the hero or the goat. Tonight I was the hero, so I'm glad. That's why I'm smiling."

After Caron Butler (18 points, career-high 20 rebounds) missed a last-second jumper for Washington, the Cavaliers ran across the court and piled on Jones. It's the first time Cavaliers have won two road games in a single playoff series; they hadn't won a postseason series since James was all of 8 years old.

Much was made of his playoff debut, and "The Golden Child" certainly delivered the goods. James began the series with a triple-double, had the two game-winners, and averaged 35.7 points. His total of 214 points set a club record for a series, one of at least 15 franchise playoff marks he broke.

"We don't have a LeBron stopper," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said before Game 6, "so that's the missing element."

James led the way, but he did get significant help Friday. Donyell Marshall scored a season-best 28 points, and Flip Murray added 21, part of Cleveland's 57-24 edge in scoring by reserves. Cleveland took advantage of Washington's lackadaisical interior defense for 58 points in the paint.

Another Wizards downfall all series — indeed, all season — was playing while ahead. On Friday, Washington started 6-for-7 from the field and broke out to a 24-10 lead, but that disappeared, much like in Game 3, when another 14-point edge was wasted.

Cleveland's run to tie it included a play when Arenas stole a pass and went in for a dunk, but James blocked the shot and Arenas landed hard. No foul was called, prompting protests from Arenas and Jordan — who yelled and kicked the ball. Both were assessed technicals, and Jordan was restrained by Daniels and two assistant coaches.

James was involved in another collision in the fourth quarter, when his head made contact with Washington center Brendan Haywood's body. James stayed down on his hands and knees for more than 30 seconds, then covered his face with a towel on the sideline during a timeout. He then took his first free throws of the game — remember, this was in the fourth quarter — and missed both. On Cleveland's next possession, James bounced the ball off his leg.

"I just wanted maybe them to think I was affected by it. But I wasn't affected at all," James said. "I've been hit harder than that in football practice."