The Cleveland Cavaliers reached the NBA finals for the first time on Saturday, sealing the Eastern Conference title with a 98-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Rookie Daniel Gibson scored a season-high 31 points and fueled a second-half surge as the Cavaliers completed a 4-2 victory over the Pistons in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.
"We're off to the finals just like I promised," Cleveland superstar LeBron James said as Cleveland fans erupted in joy. "This is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."
James had 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 11 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, who will vie for the NBA crown for the first time in their 37-year history.
The Cavaliers, who will play the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the finals on Thursday, have a chance to win a major championship for the city for the first time since the Browns won the NFL championship in 1964.
"I believe it was just our time," James said. "Something had to go right for Cleveland sports, something just had to go right."
Gibson took charge late in the third period. With Detroit leading, 63-62, with 2:38 remaining, Gibson scored Cleveland's next 11 points, including three 3-pointers, to give the Cavaliers a 73-67 lead with 10:45 left.
James then converted a three-point play off a fast-break layup and Gibson provided a 3-point dagger from the left wing to make it 79-67 with 9:42 left.
The Pistons soon came unraveled and Rasheed Wallace fouled out by slamming Gibson to the floor with 7:44 left. He then went after official Eddie F. Rush, earning two technical fouls for an ejection.
Richard Hamilton, who led the Pistons with 29 points, followed him to the bench with six fouls a few moments later.
Gibson knocked down another 3-pointer from the left corner to extend the edge to 86-71 with 6:52 left.
Gibson was 7-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range. He scored 22 of the Cavs' 29 points at one stretch in the second half and was also 12-of-15 from the free-throw line.
"I took a couple of notes from LeBron last game," Gibson said. "LeBron just told me to step into my shot."
Even without a fantastic performance by James, who shot just 3-of-11, the Cavaliers expunged the memory of last year's conference semi-final loss to Detroit.
In that series the Cavs won three straight to take a 3-2 series lead but lost the sixth and seventh games.
The Pistons focused on keeping the ball out of James' hands, a strategy that backfired thanks to Gibson.
"We really tried to get the ball out of LeBron's hands and make other guys make plays," Detroit's Tayshaun Prince said. "We got the ball out of LeBron's hands when we wanted to, but we didn't get to the shooters quick enough and Gibson made us pay for it.
"In crucial situations, when we needed stops, it was Gibson that hurt us," Prince said.
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