Originally published Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Cavaliers force deciding game with 74-69 win

The Cleveland Cavaliers packed for a weekend stay in Beantown — not a few weeks on Cape Cod. They've got at least one more game left...

By The Associated Press

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers packed for a weekend stay in Beantown — not a few weeks on Cape Cod.

They've got at least one more game left, and in the NBA, it's as big as they ever get.

Game 7. On Sunday. In Boston.

LeBron James scored 32 points — 19 in the second half — and the Cavaliers forced a decisive and fitting finale to this home-sweet-home playoff series with a 74-69 victory Friday night over the Celtics, who have gone from regular-season road kings to postseason road kill.

"It was either win or go home," James said. "I'm not ready to go home."

James, whose jump shot has mysteriously been missing in this series, made two key baskets midway through the fourth quarter to slow a Boston comeback, former Sonic Wally Szczerbiak hit a three-pointer with 2:10 remaining and Joe Smith dropped two free throws with 14 seconds left as the Cavs moved the series back to the East Coast.

The Cavs are attempting to become the 14th team to overcome an 0-2 deficit and win a series, and to do so, the defending Eastern Conference champions will have to win in Boston, where the Celtics are 7-0 in the postseason and play like a team with title potential.

On the road, they're 0-6 and just ordinary.

Still, the Celtics feel good about going home.

"Mentally we feel like we're a confident team," Paul Pierce said. "We've been in Game 7s before, and we feel like this is a game we let slip away. Hopefully, we can go home and take care of business."

For Boston, Kevin Garnett scored 25 points, Pierce 16 and Ray Allen just nine on 3-of-8 shooting. The Celtics got just two points from guard Rajon Rondo, who scored 20 in their Game 5 win. Afterward, Celtics coach Doc Rivers was still fuming over some calls he didn't like.

"Tell the refs to do the interview. They were just as important," an angry Rivers shouted at a team official after the postgame news conference.

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