Cleveland ? Once the ball ended up safely in Gary Payton’s hands, the Boston Celtics were in control.
Payton made a crucial 3-pointer and three free throws in the final 1:17 and Paul Pierce had 34 points to lead the Celtics to a 114-107 overtime win against Cleveland on Saturday night, snapping the Cavaliers’ nine-game winning streak at home.
Payton’s 3-pointer from the left wing came 14 seconds after LeBron James fouled out for the first time in his brief NBA career, leaving the Cavaliers without their leading scorer when they needed him most.
“It’s a play we run all the time,” Payton said. “I shot it in rhythm. There was no panicking. That’s why they want the ball in my hands. It’s about being there before. It’s about experience.”
Without James, who scored 31 points, the Cavs stood around and continually misfired in the final minute. The Celtics then put it away at the line with Payton making three attempts, and Raef LaFrentz dropping two.
Payton added 21 points, and former Cavs forward Ricky Davis had 14. Davis also did a nice job defensively on James down the stretch, keeping him on the perimeter by cutting off his drives to the basket.
“I like playing defense, getting down and dirty and sacrificing your body are some of the things you’ve got to do to win,” Davis said. “I tried to use some experience, deny him (James) the ball and made sure when he got it, it was away from the basket where he can’t do as much damage.”
Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 21 points, and Drew Gooden 17 with 16 rebounds for the Cavs, whose nine-game win streak at Gund Arena was their longest since the building opened in 1994. Cleveland hadn’t lost at home since dropping its season opener on Nov. 3 in double overtime to Indiana.
After the game, James slumped in his recliner and slowly tore up the boxscore in long strips before tossing them to the floor.
“We can’t worry about no streaks,” James said. “We’re disappointed we lost the game.”
Pierce scored 22 in the first half for the Celtics, who trailed by 14 in the fourth before catching the Cavaliers at 100-100 on Walter McCarty’s 3-pointer – the 400th of the forward’s career.
LaFrentz scored on a driving layup to put the Celtics ahead for the first time since the second quarter. But James, as he has done all season, hit an 11-foot jumper – his first points in 13:45 – to tie it at 102.
The Celtics had a chance to take the lead in the closing seconds, but after grabbing a loose ball underneath off a miss by James, Pierce missed a wide-open Payton at the other end of the floor.
Ilgauskas’ attempt just before the end of regulation was way off as the teams went to OT.
The Cavs quickly went up 105-102 in the extra session, but Pierce and LaFrentz hit a pair of free throws, and the Celtics worked the ball around before kicking it over to Payton, who calmly drained his big 3.
“We just kept sticking around, sticking around,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said after his team rallied to win for the third straight time on the road. “This was big for us.”
The Cavaliers’ bench was outscored 40-20 and sorely missed backup point guard Eric Snow, who was suspended without pay by coach Paul Silas following their sideline confrontation in Detroit on Thursday night. Snow will lose one game’s pay, about $54,000.
Silas said he and Snow, who cursed after being taken out in the second quarter, have cleared the air.
“We go on,” Silas said. “Life goes on. No grudges, no nothing. It’s over and done with as far as I’m concerned.”
Notes: Rivers sympathized with Silas having to make a quick decision to deal with Snow’s outburst. “You can ignore it. You can put it off until later. I’ve been through all those emotions in my six years as a coach,” Rivers said. “But you’ve got to do what’s best for your team at that moment.” … Rivers briefly coached the enigmatic Gooden last season in Orlando and loves his energy on the court and off. “He’s got that light-up-the-room personality,” Rivers said. “Sometimes he lights the coach up, too.” … Former NBA bruiser Charles Oakley, a Cleveland native, attended the game. … James has scored 20 or more points 18 times this season. … Boston’s 37 made free throws and 45 attempts were season highs.
