Hot shots Paul Pierce and LeBron James had a shootout, and when the smoke cleared the Boston Celtics walked away the winners, dpa reported.
Pierce poured in 41 points, including two big free throws with 7.9 seconds left, and the Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference finals with a thrilling 97-92 home court victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday in game seven of their playoff series, despite 45 points by James.
"It's just one of those games where I had it going, LeBron had it going, we just didn't let up," said Pierce, who fell five points shy of matching his playoff career high. "Neither of us wanted our team to lose tonight. Just to be a part of something like this and to be on the winning side is a great feeling."
Naturally disappointed at the outcome, the classy James tipped his hat to Pierce, who was averaging just 16 points in the first six games.
"Paul Pierce made some spectacular plays tonight, and he just willed his team to victory," said James, three points from equalling his playoff career best. "This was the breakout game I know he's been waiting for, and he definitely came through for them."
The top-seeded Celtics will open the best-of-seven series Tuesday night at home against the well-rested Detroit Pistons, who eliminated Orlando in five games earlier in the week.
"Paul was fantastic, LeBron was fantastic," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "Before the year our goal was to be there in game one at home, and that's where we are and exactly where we should be."
Kevin Garnett had 13 points with 13 rebounds while veteran forward PJ Brown added 10 timely points off the bench for the Celtics, who improved to 8-0 at home in post-season play.
Garnett said the game plan was simple: "Get the ball to Paul Pierce and get the heck out of his way. That's what we did."
Although the Celtics never trailed, they survived several anxious moments down the stretch as the two superstars battled it out to the delight of the 18,264 fans at sold out TD NorthBank Garden.
James described a brief conversation with Pierce in the heat of the battle.
"The fans came to see us play, and I said, 'Let's give them something to remember.'"
"We have two great guys going at it. It's an exciting game seven in the Garden, where it gets no better than this," he explained. "I know so much of the Garden history, and this will go down in history."
The Cavaliers trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half but chipped away and drew to within 89-88 when James made a breakaway dunk after stealing the ball from Pierce.
After Brown knocked down a 15-foot jumper for a three-point advantage, Pierce out-hustled everyone for a key jump ball at the other end and called for a timeout in the scrum with a minute remaining.
"Once I saw the ball I went for it head first," Pierce said. "It's playoff basketball and you treat each possession like it's like your last."
With an opportunity to level the game, James passed on a three- point try but overshot the basket on a baseline drive while being defended by Brown.
At the other end, Ray Allen and Eddie House each hit two free throws, pushing the Celtics' lead to 95-88. However, James split a pair of free throws and Sasha Pavlovic buried a three-pointer to make it 95-92 with 8.6 seconds left.
The Cavaliers immediately fouled Pierce. His first toss hit the rim and bounced high in the air before falling through as Pierce smiled with a sense of relief. His next sailed cleanly through, pushing the lead to 97-92.
"It's the way the night was going," Pierce said.
James misfired on a quick three with 4.4 seconds left, but teammate Joe Smith corralled the rebound and tried to send it back to him. Instead, House intercepted the pass, and the Cavaliers were dethroned as Eastern Conference champions.
"I'm proud of the team but hurt at the same time," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "It's tough to lose anytime in the playoffs or the regular-season, especially when you know your season is done."
Still, Brown acknowledged witnessing two of the league's brightest stars in a classic shootout.
"Both Paul and LeBron had hell of game offensively," he said. "To score 86 points between the two of them is an amazing feat. But you have two very good basketball players."