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Cavs snatch late win over Pistons, Spurs hanging on

Posted on: Thursday, 18 May 2006, 00:48 CDT

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)

Source: REUTERS

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