James did not seem to be at the top of his game. Maybe he just had a bad day. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well. If he had been at peak performance, he would have won again.
Yes, it seemed that he never quite hit his groove. I think she was somehow beating him to the buzzer.
When I was in college I was a sprinter and hurdler. For an entire season, it seemed like I could anticipate the gun every time. I was always a half step ahead for the first 5 yards.
Just as it came, it went. I think buzzing in is something like that.