James Seizes Control
Cleveland Wins Double-Overtime Thriller to Take 3-2 Series Lead : Cavaliers 109, Pistons 107

By Michael Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 1, 2007

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 31 -- When LeBron James left the Palace of Auburn Hills last week, he was a humbled man. When James walked off the court Thursday night, he was again hunched over, head hung low. But this time, it was because of exhaustion, not embarrassment.

James gave more than he knew he had in carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-107 double-overtime victory against the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

James had a masterful, career-defining performance and added to his burgeoning legacy as he scored 29 of the Cavaliers' final 30 points and finished with a playoff career-high 48 points, including the game-winning basket with 2.2 seconds left. The Cavaliers lead this best-of-seven series, three games to two, and have an opportunity to close it out Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena, where they are 6-1 this postseason.

"The simple fact that I was able to will my team to victory [is] definitely pleasing to me," James said. "This is a big win, one of the biggest wins in Cavaliers' franchise history. For me and my teammates, it's definitely the biggest win. But we have a goal; we can't dwell on this."

James hit difficult fadeaway jumpers, made aggressive drives to the basket punctuated by pulverizing dunks and refused to let his team lose, especially after the Pistons had a seven-point lead with 3 minutes 15 seconds left in regulation. James had Cleveland's final 11 field goals and finished 18 for 33 from field in setting the franchise playoff scoring record.

"He was in the zone," Pistons Coach Flip Saunders said.

With the score tied at 107, James drove around Chauncey Billups and into the teeth of the Pistons' defense and converted an acrobatic layup to win the game. Afterward, James, who also had nine assists and seven rebounds in 51 minutes, leaned over and tugged at his shorts. Asked how he felt, James said: "Terrible. I'm banged up, I'm winded. I'm fatigued."

But more important, he was victorious. Michael Jordan lost to Detroit three times before he finally had a breakthrough, but James may have fast-forwarded his learning curve.

"This is the single best game I have ever seen at this level -- hands down," said Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown, who was an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs when Tim Duncan led them to the NBA title in 2003. "That was a phenomenal performance. He did it all. He always does it all for us. I don't know what he can't do."

Two losses against the Pistons left the 22-year-old open to criticism from almost every angle. But he restored his reputation and confidence in Cleveland, answering questions about his ability to take over games in the fourth quarter with two dominant performances.

Upon his return to the building that brought him so much agony, James was beaming with confidence and the belief that, though Cleveland had won just two games, his team had outplayed the Pistons for most of the series. If Donyell Marshall had hit a wide-open three-point attempt in Game 1 or Larry Hughes had hit a six-foot jumper at the end of Game 2, this series very well could have been over.

"We couldn't leave here without getting at least one win," James said. "That was just my mind-set."

James has obviously learned from his mistakes. He provided the signature image of this series with a memorable dunk over Rasheed Wallace in Game 3 and shrugged off Richard Hamilton's gamesmanship to nail the decisive free throws in Game 4. But he was at his best Thursday night, as he stunned a sellout crowd with a breath-taking performance.

Hamilton had 26 points, Billups had 21 and Chris Webber 20 for the Pistons, who were well aware that a Cavaliers team of mostly playoff novices entered this building and stole Game 5 in the conference semifinals last season. But they came back to close out the series in Game 7.

"We've been in a hole before," Wallace said. "Believe it or not, the year we won it [2004], against New Jersey. We were going back to Jersey the same way, 3-2."

Detroit had hoped to put the Cavaliers in a hole early, surmising that the Cavaliers would fold under the pressure, on the road. But the Pistons could never extend their lead beyond eight points, and the Cavaliers never buckled -- thanks to James.

"It's frustrating," Billups said. "He put on an unbelievable display out there. It's probably the best I've seen against us ever in the playoffs."

James gave the Cavaliers a 100-96 lead in the first overtime period, nailing a jumper over two defenders. But the Pistons scored the next four points from the foul line.

In the second overtime, though, they couldn't stop James. After Hamilton gave the Pistons a 104-102 lead, James refused to back down. He made a behind-the-back dribble and tied the score at 104 with a pull-up jumper. Then, after Webber converted a three-point play, James dribbled around Webber and made a fadeaway three-pointer to tie the score at 107.

"Why do I have to be surprised?" James said. "If I did everything I did tonight and we lost, it means nothing. So the win is the most important thing for us, and we are one win from getting our goal."