King James rules for Cavaliers
CLEVELAND: LeBron James didn't wait for the last play. He did all he needed to do before the clock got anywhere near zero.
James had 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in the most important game of his young NBA career, helping Cleveland to an 88-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night to pull the Cavaliers within 2-1 in the Eastern Conference finals.
|
"We ain't done yet," James said. "We've still got to hold down home court and try to make it a three-game series."
James, rising to the occasion with a hometown crowd hanging on his every move, scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and rookie Daniel Gibson came up with several key plays down the stretch to help his more celebrated teammate.
In Game 1 at Detroit, James was criticized for not taking the Cavs' final shot. In Game 2, James was swarmed by defenders and couldn't get off a clean attempt in the foul lane in the waning moments of the Pistons' second straight 79-76 win.
James left nothing to chance this time, hitting a 3-pointer with 2:34 left and a 16-foot jumper in the last 23 seconds to give Cleveland its first win in the conference finals since May 25, 1992, against Chicago.
"You learn from mistakes, you learn from losses, but this game doesn't put something on me where it's, 'Hey, I've finally done it,"' James said. "This was a big game. We won it and we have to move on."
Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points, Sasha Pavlovic 13 and Drew Gooden 12 for the Cavs, who can even the series with a win in Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Rasheed Wallace had 16 points and Chris Webber 15 to pace the Pistons, who were just 5-of-14 in the fourth and scored 19 points - only seven more than James.
"We gave him too many options," Tayshaun Prince said. "He picked us apart driving to the basket. But that's how it is if his jump shot is on."
The Pistons were the East's best road team during the regular season and came in 4-1 so far in these playoffs outside of Auburn Hills, Mich. Detroit, which needed seven games to put away the Cavs in last year's playoffs, could have effectively ended this series with another road win.
James refused to allow it.
"LeBron stepped up and said, 'Get on my shoulders,"' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "We all hopped on."
Cleveland's superstar made sure he was ready for one of this championship-starved city's biggest nights of basketball.
James broke from his usual pre-game routine, and after arriving three hours before tipoff, he shot 3-pointers and jumpers on the arena's main floor for the first time this season.
"I've got to be ready," said James, who wore a black sleeveless "Witness" T-shirt during his workout. "This is probably the biggest game of my life, and probably one of the biggest games in Cavaliers history. I've got recognize that. I have to be prepared to go out there.
"It's all out."
Agencies
(China Daily 05/29/2007 page24)
