The?Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 97-92 in a thrilling Game 7 on Sunday to reach the National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference finals.
Boston hung on for victory to clinch a 4-3 series triumph and set up a meeting with the Detroit Pistons tomorrow in the same arena where the Celtics have won 14 straight games and are 8-0 in the postseason. Home teams are 22-2 in the second round of this season's playoffs.
But the Celtics are 0-6 on the road in the postseason after Friday night's 69-74 loss in Cleveland. On Sunday, they never trailed but never were safe until the final seconds.
The Celtics were 50-40 up at halftime but the game got down to a single point during the fourth quarter after LeBron James led a Cleveland fightback.
James scored 45 points and Paul Pierce inspired Boston with 41.
"Both of them had a hell of a game offensively," Cleveland head coach Mike Brown told reporters.
"To score 86 points between the two of them is an amazing feat, you have two amazing basketball players in Pierce and James."
The late drama came after a game in which every time Boston seemed to be building up a decisive lead Cleveland clawed back.
With eight seconds remaining, James set up Sasha Pavlovic for a three-pointer that brought the score to 95-92 but after two free throw points from Pierce it was desperation time.
James went for a three-pointer with 4.4 seconds remaining but missed, ending any lingering Cleveland hopes.
"They were the longest three minutes of my life," said Pierce. "You see the clock and you want it to run out, but you've got to go out and win the game. The Cavs are a hell of team, they are the Eastern Conference champs from a year ago. We knew it was not going to be easy."
The Celtics are also back in the Eastern finals for the first time since 2002.
Pierce is a survivor from that team but rarely has he produced the kind of form he did on Sunday.
"He was huge," said team mate PJ Brown, who came off the bench to score 10 points.
"I haven't seen that Paul Pierce since I've been here. It was Game 7, the big stage. He got into a great flow, great rhythm and he just led us all the way."
Boston's Kevin Garnett, who had 13 points, also paid tribute to Pierce.
"Tonight was very simple, get the ball to Paul Pierce, get the hell out the way," he said. "That's exactly what it was, no need for you all to ask me no questions, that was the game plan, that is what we did."
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily May 20, 2008)