Rondo, who had made two three-pointers in a game just once in his career, buried two in a span of 46 seconds to spark a 14-3 scoring run that closed the first half and pulled Boston within 46-43.
Little more than a minute into the second half Rondo’s steal and layup saw the Celtics take the lead for the first time in the game, and Pierce drained a three-pointer midway through the third to break a 55-55 tie and put the Celtics ahead for good.
After James’ last basket of the first half put the Cavaliers ahead by 14, Boston outscored Cleveland 42-16 in a run spanning more than 15 minutes.
With 3:38 to play, Boston led 88-77, but the Cavaliers made the most of two turnovers by the Celtics to close the gap to four points in the final minute.
Garnett missed a jump shot on Boston’s next possession, but Ray Allen tipped the miss out to Pierce, who was fouled and made two free throws to make it 93-87 with 15.6 seconds remaining.
After Delonte West hit a pair of free throws for the Cavaliers, Pierce sank two more, and Cleveland’s five-second violation with 11 seconds left doomed their comeback bid.
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