GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NBA: CLEVELAND (10-4) at DETROIT (10-4)

NBA: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">PLAYOFFS

CLEVELAND (109)

fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
L James 50:18 18-33 10-14 3-9 7 3 48
D Gooden 28:00 3-10 1-2 3-6 1 6 7
Z Ilgauskas 39:17 6-9 4-6 1-8 2 6 16
S Pavlovic 42:01 2-10 1-2 3-9 1 4 6
L Hughes 29:15 2-3 3-5 0-1 1 4 9
A Varejao 33:37 3-6 3-4 2-3 0 3 9
D Marshall 14:41 0-1 0-0 0-3 0 1 0
D Gibson 30:25 2-7 6-6 0-0 1 6 11
Da Jones 14:07 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 3
E Snow 8:05 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
S Pollard 0:14 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
I Newble DNP - COACH'S DECISION

______________________________________________________
TOTALS 290:00 37-82 28-39 12-39 13 35 109
______________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.451, FT-.718. 3-Point Goals:
7-15, .467 (L James 2-3, S Pavlovic 1-3, L
Hughes 2-2, D Marshall 0-1, D Gibson 1-3, Da
Jones 1-2, E Snow 0-1). Team Rebounds: 11.
Blocked Shots:5 (Z Ilgauskas 2, A Varejao 2,
D Marshall). Turnovers:12 (L Hughes 4, S
Pavlovic 3, L James 2, Z Ilgauskas, D Gooden,
A Varejao). Steals: 8 (E Snow 2, A Varejao 2,
L James 2, L Hughes, D Gooden).


DETROIT (107)

fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
T Prince 49:54 4-13 1-2 4-9 3 4 10
R Wallace 45:53 4-13 9-10 1-8 2 4 17
C Webber 30:08 9-13 2-4 4-7 0 5 20
R Hamilton 48:41 7-18 12-12 0-2 5 5 26
C Billups 53:19 6-13 6-9 0-7 4 2 21
A McDyess 4:03 1-2 0-0 0-1 0 1 2
J Maxiell 27:34 2-2 5-6 1-5 0 3 9
L Hunter 14:24 1-5 0-0 1-4 2 1 2
C Delfino 8:06 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
D Davis 7:58 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 2 0
N Mohammed DNP - COACH'S DECISION
R Murray DNP - COACH'S DECISION

______________________________________________________
TOTALS 290:00 34-80 35-43 12-45 18 27 107
______________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.425, FT-.814. 3-Point Goals:
4-14, .286 (T Prince 1-2, R Wallace 0-2, R
Hamilton 0-1, C Billups 3-7, L Hunter 0-1, C
Delfino 0-1). Team Rebounds: 15. Blocked
Shots:7 (R Wallace 2, J Maxiell 2, L Hunter,
C Webber, R Hamilton). Turnovers:13 (R
Hamilton 4, T Prince 4, C Webber 2, C
Billups, J Maxiell, C Delfino). Steals: 7 (L
Hunter, R Wallace, C Webber, D Davis, T
Prince, J Maxiell, C Delfino).

----------------------------------------------------
CLEVELAND 23 28 19 21 9 9 - 109
DETROIT 29 23 18 21 9 7 - 107
----------------------------------------------------

Technical fouls: Cleveland - 3 (L James, 0:28
1st; Defensive Three, 2:13 3rd; Defensive
Three, 4:53 3rd).
Flagrant fouls: Detroit 1 (A McDyess, 0:28
1st). A: 22,076. T: 3:35. Officials: Bennett
Salvatore, Bob Delaney, Ron Garretson.</div>

 

NBA: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">PLAYOFFS

NBA CLEVELAND AT DETROIT
NOTE: RE-SENDING BOXSCORE TO CORRECT MINUTES, PISTONS'
OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS, POINTS OFF
TURNOVERS AND TECHNICALS AND ADD TIME OF GAME.</div>

 

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- LeBron James did notdisappear at the end this time on Detroit's home court.

James put on a performance for the ages, scoring 48 points,including the final 25 for his team in leading the ClevelandCavaliers to a 109-107 double-overtime victory in Game Five ofthe Eastern Conference finals Thursday.

Maligned for a pair of disappearing acts in tight losses here inthe first two games of the series, James is one game away frommaking the Pistons vanish from the playoffs after givingCleveland a 3-2 series lead.

The superstar forward capped off his amazing performance bydriving the lane and scooping in a layup with 2.2 seconds toplay for the winning basket.

Detroit's Chauncey Billups misses a tying shot that rolledaround the rim as time expired.

The Cavaliers can close out the series in Game Six Saturdaynight in Cleveland.

Richard Hamilton scored 26 points, Billups 21 and Chris Webber20 for the Pistons, who have dropped three straight games in theseries.

Last season, the Cavaliers won Game Five on Detroit's home floorto take a 3-2 edge in the Eastern Conference semifinals, onlyto see the Pistons come back to win the final two games and theseries.

James scored 29 of the Cavaliers' final 30 points and every onein both overtime sessions. The only point not scored by Jamesfrom the 6:05 mark on in regulation was a lone free throw byDrew Gooden.

James scored all of Cleveland's nine points in the firstovertime but finally looked human by throwing up an airball with6.6 seconds left and the Cavs leading, 100-98.

Billups hit a pair of pressure free throws to tie it at 100-100with 3.1 seconds left in the first overtime after drawing areach-in foul on a drive down the lane.

A desperation heave by Eric Snow from beyond mid-court was welloff the mark.

With the Cavaliers trailing, 88-81, in regulation, James hit a3-pointer and a thunderous dunk to cap an 8-0 for an 89-88 leadwith 31 seconds left in regulation.

Billups answered from the arc to regain the lead for Detroit, at91-89, with 22 seconds to play, but James drove for a tyingdunk with 9.5 seconds left that forced the first extra session.

Emotions boiled over in the final minute of the opening quarterwhen Detroit's Antonio McDyess clotheslined Anderson Varejao ona drive down the lane.

McDyess drew a flagrant foul on the play and was ejected fromthe game, greatly reducing the depth of the Pistons' front line.

 

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- LeBron James did notdisappear at the end this time on Detroit's home court.

James put on a performance for the ages, scoring a playoffcareer-high 48 points, including the final 25 for his team inleading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-107 double-overtimevictory in Game Five of the Eastern Conference finals Thursday.

The spectacular effort by James gave the Cavaliers a 3-2 lead inthe series and the chance to close out the Pistons in Game Sixon Saturday in Cleveland.

"LeBron was huge," said Cavs forward Drew Gooden, whose freethrow late in regulation was the only one of Cleveland's final30 points not scored by James. "I fouled out so I was on thebench watching it, but I felt like I was playing a video gameout there with the Cavaliers - just watching him take over likein a video game."

The Pistons must have felt the same way, unable to stop James'slashing drives or outside jumpers. On the winning basket,James penetrated down the lane and scooped in a layup with 2.2seconds to play for a 109-107 lead.

"I thought that obviously LeBron had a terrific game," Cavalierscoach Mike Brown said. "I mean, we've been riding him the wholeseason. We rode him most the playoffs and tonight for him toscore 29 of the last 30 points, somebody told me that in thelocker room and I could not believe it. I could not believe hescored 29 of the last 30 points.

"That was a phenomenal performance. Not only that but the guyhad seven assists, he has nine rebounds, he did it all. Healways does it all for us."

Detroit's Chauncey Billups misses a tying shot that rolledaround the rim and spun out as time expired.

The last one I had a real good look, (Anderson) Varejao got apiece of it. He made a good play on it," Billups said. "It'sfrustrating. (James) put an unbelievable display out there. Itwas probably the best I've seen against us ever in the playoffs.It was a great one, it was a great win for them.

Maligned for a pair of disappearing acts in tight losses here inthe first two games of the series, James is one game away frommaking the Pistons vanish from the playoffs.

In Game One, James was roundly criticized for not attempting thewinning shot, instead passing to teammate Donyell Marshall fora missed 3-pointer. In Game Two, James missed a shot in thelane with 7.9 seconds to play.

He left little to chance Thursday night, repeatedly attackingthe rim, including consecutive dunks at the end of regulation.

"I made a lot of good moves and I was able to finish," Jamessaid. "It wasn't just like they opened up the lane and let methrough there. I made a lot of good moves, my teammates did agood job of spacing the floor and I just wanted to try tofinish."

And now James and the Cavaliers may be able to finish thePistons, something they were not able to do in an identicalsituation last year.

"He (James) just wouldn't let us go down," Cleveland centerZydrunas Ilgauskas said. "I have played with him for four yearsand this is probably the best that I've seen him play in apressure situation and especially since he won the game for us.I am happy for him because he has been having some criticismand he fired back with this."

Last season, the Cavaliers won Game Five on Detroit's home floorto take a 3-2 edge in the Eastern Conference semifinals, onlyto see the Pistons come back to win the final two games and theseries.

"It ain't no different. We've been in a hole before," Pistonsforward Rasheed Wallace said. "Believe it or not, the year wewon against (New) Jersey, we were down going back to Jersey,same way - 3-2."

Richard Hamilton scored 26 points, Billups 21 and Chris Webber20 for the Pistons, who have dropped three straight games in theseries.

Webber converted a huge three-point play with 1:28 left in thesecond overtime to give the Pistons a 107-104 lead.

Undaunted, James drilled a 3-pointer 14 seconds later to tie itand set up his last-second heroics.

"He was in a zone tonight," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said."He made some phenomenal shots. I thought the shot he had infront of our bench to tie it up when we were up three, off tothe left and going up, he was in an unbelievable zone."

James scored all of Cleveland's nine points in the firstovertime but finally looked human by throwing up an airball with6.6 seconds left and the Cavs leading, 100-98.

Billups hit a pair of pressure free throws to tie it at 100-100with 3.1 seconds left in the first overtime after drawing areach-in foul on a drive down the lane.

A desperation heave by Eric Snow from beyond mid-court was welloff the mark.

After Detroit used a 10-0 run to take an 88-81 lead inregulation, James hit a 3-pointer and a thunderous dunk to capan 8-0 spurt for an 89-88 lead with 31 seconds left inregulation.

Billups answered from the arc to regain the lead for Detroit, at91-89, with 22 seconds to play, but James drove for a tyingdunk with 9.5 seconds left that forced the first extra session.

"The Pistons do a great job of making runs and you kind of neverknow when it's going to happen, but when it happens it'squick," James said. "So I just wanted to try to be aggressiveand not allow them to make too much of a run, and give ourselvesan opportunity to win down at the end of regulation.

"And it took two overtimes to do it, but as a team ... this is agutted-out victory."

Emotions boiled over in the final minute of the opening quarterwhen Detroit's Antonio McDyess clotheslined Anderson Varejao ona drive down the lane.

McDyess drew a flagrant foul on the play and was ejected fromthe game, greatly reducing the depth of the Pistons' front line.

"It hurt because he's played so well and given us so much energyand he's one of our better defenders, as far as pick-and-roll,"Saunders said. "But I thought Maxie (Jason Maxiell) playedwell and Webb (Webber)played well, and we had good energy formost of the game."