James lifts Cavs to last-gasp win over Pistons

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Drew Gooden took a pass from LeBron
James to score with 27 seconds left and lift the Cleveland
Cavaliers to a stunning 86-84 victory over the Detroit Pistons
in Auburn Hills on Wednesday.

James scored 32 points and had five rebounds and five
assists, including one on his pass under the basket to Gooden,
who converted to give Cleveland a 3-2 lead over the two-times
defending champions in the Eastern Conference series.

The Cavaliers head home for Game Six on Friday with a
chance to eliminate the Pistons who have now lost three games
in a row for the first time this season.

“Once again tonight we found a way to win,” James told
reporters. “This (the Pistons) is a great team, we knew they
were going to make runs especially on their court but we won
the ball game.”

James says the Cavaliers will take nothing for granted,
noting that the Pistons have overcome series deficits the past
two years on the way to winning back-to-back East titles.

“They’ve been down before, we have to continue with a great
effort back in our house on Friday and try to win a game,”
James said.

“It doesn’t mean anything if we don’t win the last two
games. It doesn’t mean anything at all. One thing we have to do
now is protect home.”

SCORE TIED

Detroit’s Ben Wallace missed two free throws in the final
minute with the score tied 84-84 and was 0-for-7 from the line
in the game. Making one of the shots would have given Detroit
the lead for the first time since the second quarter.

It was Detroit’s first loss at home this post-season but
coach Flip Saunders remains confident his team can bounce back.

“It doesn’t mean the series is over,” Saunders told
reporters.

Cleveland coach Mike Brown was just relieved to get the
victory and the series lead.

“What a game,” Brown told reporters. “I tell you what,
that’s a very good basketball team, the Detroit Pistons.

“The thing that I liked about our guys is that I thought we
had poise down the stretch. We stayed as poised and composed as
possible in a situation like this.”

Donyell Marshall added 14 points and had 13 rebounds for
the Cavs, while Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 14 points and 10
rebounds.

Tayshaun Prince had 21 points and eight rebounds for the
Pistons, while Chauncey Billups added 17 points but fouled out
in the fourth quarter.

Richard Hamilton had 15 points for Detroit, and Rasheed
Wallace had 10 points and nine rebounds in just 22 minutes due
to foul trouble.

“We definitely played tight tonight,” Prince told
reporters. “They made defensive plays when they had to tonight
and we weren’t communicating well.”

Cleveland shot just 38 percent from the field, while the
Pistons shot 43 percent but made 17 turnovers.

(Writing by Roger Lajoie in Toronto)