Cleveland – The kid came up big. LeBron James did, too.
And the Cleveland Cavaliers are as close as they’ve ever been to an NBA title.
James scored 25 points – 13 in the fourth quarter – and rookie Daniel Gibson added a season-high 21 as the Cavaliers evened the Eastern Conference finals with a 91-87 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Gibson made 12-of-12 free throws, Drew Gooden added 19 points and Eric Snow hit a crucial free throw in the final seconds as the Cavaliers moved within two victories of their first trip to the NBA Finals.
James, criticized for his fourth-quarter failures in Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-seven series, had a virtuoso-like performance in the final 12 minutes. He went 4-of-6 from the field, 5-of-5 from the line and added four rebounds and three assists.
“I told my teammates, ‘Get me to the fourth and it’s close, and I’ll try my best to win,”‘ James said.
The Cavaliers, who lost a seven-game series to Detroit last year, are making just their third visit to the conference finals and each time they’ve been tied 2-2 before losing in six games.
When he was drafted, James promised to bring the championship-starved city its first title since the Browns won the NFL championship in 1964, and he’s closing in on one quicker than anyone expected.
“The series is a lot better being 2-2 than 3-1 and going back to Detroit,” James said. “I had to be aggressive in the fourth quarter and step up.”
With Detroit down 88-85, Rasheed Wallace blocked a shot in the lane, but Chauncey Billups rushed a 3-pointer that missed. On Cleveland’s next possession, Snow, who played only 1:05, got fouled following a scramble for a loose ball. Snow’s free throw put the Cavaliers ahead by four before Antonio McDyess’ tip-in got the Pistons within 89-87 with 4.7 seconds left.
James was fouled, and Cleveland’s superstar calmly knocked down both foul shots to make it 91-87 with four seconds remaining. As James was preparing to shoot, Hamilton walked up and tried to rattle him with a few words – just as James had done to Washington’s Gilbert Arenas during the playoffs last season.
“I invented that,” James said jokingly. “No, Scottie Pippen invented that with Karl Malone. He (Hamilton) tried to mess with me and I had to stay focused.”
Wallace missed a 3-pointer, James hauled in his seventh rebound to go with 11 assists and the Cavaliers had one of the biggest wins in their 37-year history.
