Cavs snatch late win over Pistons, Spurs hanging on

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Drew Gooden took a pass from LeBron
James and sank the winning basket with 27 seconds left to 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 his pass under the basket to Gooden, who
converted to give Cleveland a 3-2 lead over the Eastern
Conference champions in the best-of-seven semi-final series.

In the day’s other playoff game, Tim Duncan had a
season-high 36 points and 12 rebounds as the defending NBA
champions San Antonio Spurs kept their campaign alive with a
98-97 home win over the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks lead the best-of-seven Western Conference
series 3-2 with Game Six in Dallas on Friday.

The Cavaliers now head home for Game Six on Friday with a
chance to eliminate the Pistons, who have 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.”

GREAT WIN

In San Antonio, a defiant Tony Parker believes the
defending champions are still in with a chance, even though
only eight NBA teams have ever rebounded from 3-1 series
deficits.

“A great win for us, of course it’s due or die now,” Parker
told reporters.

“We’re really confident going into their building trying to
get another victory.”

Parker scored 27 points for the Spurs, while Manu Ginobili
added 18 points for the winners. Duncan tied an NBA playoff
record by making his first 12 shots of the game.

Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 31 points but the Mavericks
came up one point short of closing out the series.

Josh Howard added 16 points for Dallas.

(Writing by Roger Lajoie in Toronto)