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James, Cavaliers look to finish off Nets

May 16, 2007 - 12:48 PM New Jersey at Cleveland 8:00 pm EDT Eastern Conference Semifinals Game Five

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- LeBron James is on the cusp of taking the next step.

James and the Cleveland Cavaliers aim to close out their Eastern Conference semifinals against the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday.

Last season, James and the Cavaliers were eliminated in the conference semifinals by the Detroit Pistons.

Cleveland held on for an 87-85 victory over New Jersey in Game Four on Monday to take a 3-1 series lead. James was the catalyst, scoring 30 points collecting nine rebounds and handing out seven assists for the Cavaliers, who can advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1992.

James, who was NBA Rookie of the Year on a 35-47 team in 2004, pushed Cleveland above .500 (42-40) in his second season. In 2005-06, the three-time All-Star helped the Cavaliers reach the postseason for the first time in eight years, advancing to the Eastern semifinals before losing to the Pistons in seven games.

The 22-year-old James made 10-of-15 free throws, including splitting a pair with 10 seconds left, to give the Cavaliers an 87-85 lead with 10 seconds left on Monday. James then watched teammates Eric Snow and Larry Hughes harass Vince Carter into a turnover with just a few seconds left on the clock.

This marks the first time in 15 postseason appearances Cleveland has ever gone up 3-1 in a seven-game series.

James, Hughes and company also continued to play excellent defense, holding the Nets to 36 percent shooting, including just 11-of-48 by Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson. In Game Four, the Cavaliers also had a 24-4 advantage in fastbreak points.

Carter, an eight-time All-Star, continues to struggle from the field, shooting just 34 percent (31-of-91) in the series. He and his New Jersey teammates shot only 3-of-16 in the final quarter with no field goals in the last seven minutes.

The Nets have the daunting task of attempting to become the ninth team in NBA playoff history to erase a 3-1 deficit. New Jersey was in a similar situation in the 2006 playoffs, falling behind 3-1 to the eventual champion Miami Heat, before losing Game Five in Miami, 106-105.