LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas dominated down the stretch as Cleveland pulled away for a 97-90 win to complete a four-game sweep of Washington on Monday.
The absences of all-stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler were just too much for the Wizards to overcome in the first round NBA playoff series.
They faced long enough odds as it was, as no team in NBA history had rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series.
PHOTO: AP
James and Ilgauskas teamed up to make sure Washington did not have a chance to make history, helping Cleveland complete its first sweep of a playoff series in their 36-year history.
The second-seeded Cavaliers trailed 67-66 entering the fourth quarter.
James hit a three-pointer with 5:59 to play to tie the game at 77-77.
Antawn Jamison was fouled by Drew Gooden while attempting a three-pointer and made all three free throws to give the Wizards their last lead, 80-77, with 5:37 remaining.
Ilgauskas then scored four points in an 8-2 run that gave Cleveland the lead for good, 85-80, with 3:23 to play.
James and Ilgauskas combined on a pair of baskets in the final minute to put away the game.
James started a drive from the right corner and pulled up to dump the ball to Ilgauskas, who caught it high and scored in one motion to make it 91-88 with 59 seconds left.
After a turnover by Jamison, Ilgauskas popped out to the left corner after setting a screen for James, who whipped a pass to the 7-3 center for a deep jumper that made it 93-88 with 33 seconds remaining.
With the win, the Cavs have secured a spot in the Eastern Conference semi-finals where they will face the winner of the series between the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors.
James scored 31 points and had 11 rebounds while Ilgauskas added 20 and 19.
Jamison scored 31 points for Washington.
Yao Ming scored six of Houston's final eight points and the Rockets regained control of their Western Conference first-round series on Monday against the Utah Jazz with a 96-92 win in game five.
The Rockets were happy to be back in Houston after suffering a pair of double-digit road losses after taking a commanding 2-0 lead.
Utah tied the series with a pair of dominant home wins, including holding Houston to a franchise-playoff low 67 points in game three on Thursday.
The Jazz had a chance to steal on Monday but China's giant center Yao came up big when it mattered most.
Nursing a 91-90 lead, Houston turned to Yao, who responded with a turnaround jumper off the glass to extend the lead to 93-90 with 1:25 to play.
Yao sealed the win with two free throws with 11 seconds left.
He finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds and was nine-of-10 from the line.
Tracy McGrady had 26 points and a career-high 16 assists despite leaving the game in the first quarter with a hip pointer.
McGrady left the bench with 1:14 to go in the first quarter and went to the locker room with a trainer. He returned to score 20 points in the final three quarters.
Yao was key down the stretch for the Rockets, but Chuck Hayes had a huge impact on the game considering he did not score a point in 26 minutes.
Utah trailed, 94-92, and had the ball. Derek Fisher started a drive from the left side and was met in the lane by Hayes, who drew the charge with 12 seconds left.
Rafer Alston then split a pair of free throws and Yao made two to end it.
All-star forward Carlos Boozer scored 26 points and had eight rebounds for the Jazz. It was the first time all series that Boozer did not record a double-double.
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