NBA Playoffs | Celtics take epic matchup

BOSTON — Paul Pierce and LeBron James chased each other, harassed each other, traded hip-checks and jump shots and admiring glances for a long, glorious afternoon, while historic comparisons flew and the balance of power in the Eastern Conference shifted hard toward the Northeast.

There will be much to remember about Sunday afternoon's taut Game 7 between Boston and Cleveland, but the most significant was this: The Celtics, with a series-clinching 97-92 victory, finally seem ready to reclaim the franchise's lost glory.

In one of the greatest playoff performances of his career, Pierce scored 41 points to put the Celtics in the conference finals for the first time since 2002. They open the series Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons at TD Banknorth Garden.

Pierce waited nine years for management to get him worthy co-stars, in the form of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. But with Boston's championship hopes on the line, Pierce was the one to carry the load. He matched James (45 points) basket for basket in a duel that evoked memories of Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins in 1988.

When it was over, Pierce and Garnett sat side by side on a podium. Garnett looked down at the stat sheet, smiled, chuckled, let out a few admiring "oohs" and rocked back in his chair.

"Tonight was basically get the ball to Paul Pierce," Garnett said, adding that everyone else just got out of the way.

No other Celtic scored more than Garnett's 13 points. No other Cavalier scored more than Delonte West's 15. It was, for long stretches and much of the fourth quarter, about two people. Pierce made 13 of 23 attempts from the field and 11 of 12 free throws. James made 14 of 29 field goals and 14 of 19 free throws. Pierce had five assists, James six.

"Paul Pierce is one of my favorite players," James said. "I love going against the best and Paul Pierce is one of those guys."

James, just 23 but with a keen sense of basketball history, knew exactly what the Bird-Wilkins comparison meant.

"Just like Dominique Wilkins, I ended up on the short end," he said.

It was a rare high-scoring game in a series dominated by defense and low shooting percentages. It ended with a changing of the guard, and the defending conference champions out of the playoffs. The East will send a different team to the finals against Detroit for the fourth year in a row.

The Cavaliers trailed from start to finish, but James kept them in striking distance for the entire fourth quarter. After Pierce made a fadeaway over him, James fired back with a three-pointer that cut the Celtics' lead to 83-80 with 5 minutes, 43 seconds to play. When Garnett hit a hook shot, James answered with a floater.

The game very nearly turned on one play, as James picked Pierce and raced down the court for a fast-break dunk that cut the deficit to 89-88 with 2:20 to play. That was as close as the Cavaliers got.