Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (R) drives past New Jersey Nets' Richard Jefferson during the first quarter of Game 6 of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff basketball series in East Rutherford, New Jersey, May 18, 2007. [Reuters]

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - LeBron James came back just in time to make sure the New Jersey Nets couldn't. James returned from a long stint on the bench to score 23 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 15 years by beating the Nets 88-72 Friday night.

Cleveland won the series 4-2 and heads to Detroit on Monday night for its third appearance in a conference finals and the first since 1992. James, who had eight rebounds and eight assists, needed only four years to get the Cavs into the NBA's final four.

He got plenty of help in the clincher from reserves Donyell Marshall and Daniel Gibson, and the Cavs needed it because James spent most of the third quarter on the bench in foul trouble and Cleveland managed just eight points. New Jersey cut what had been a 22-point deficit to one, but with James back for the fourth quarter, the Nets never could take the lead.

Marshall scored 18 points and Gibson had eight. They had combined for 26 points total in the first five games of the series.

Jason Kidd had 19 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Nets, who stayed alive with a victory at Cleveland in Game 5 and were hoping to become the ninth NBA team to come back from 3-1 deficit to win a series.

Instead, they stalled in the conference semifinals for the second straight year.