CLEVELAND — LeBron James always soars in the NBA playoffs.
Mo Williams finally rose to the occasion — literally.
Williams delivered his first dunk for Cleveland, a resounding slam that stunned Boston’s Paul Pierce, shook the arena and ignited the Cavaliers, who rallied for a 101-93 victory over the Celtics on Saturday after being outplayed for much of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Williams’ unexpected dunk over Pierce fueled a game-ending 43-24 spurt by the Cavs.
“I knew Mo could dunk,” James said of his teammate, generously listed as 6-feet-1. “I told Mo a long time ago if he ever dunked in a game it was going to spark us like we haven’t been sparked before. Not only did it fire the team, it fired himself up.”
James scored 35 points, and Williams added 20, 14 in the third quarter.
James, playing with a sprained and bruised right elbow, delivered another memorable performance as the Cavs withstood a furious punch from the Celtics, who led by 11 in the third and seem intent on making it a long series.
James, who also had seven rebounds and seven assists, drained a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left to put Boston away.
“It’s been better,” James said of his elbow. “But that’s no excuse for me. I don’t make any excuses and I’ll be ready for (Game 2) Monday.”
Historically, winning a series opener is a good omen for the Cavs, who are 10-0 when taking Game 1.
Rajon Rondo had 27 points and 12 assists, and Kevin Garnett finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Boston.
