LeBron James knows the path to the NBA Finals better than anyone in today’s game.

And unless the Boston Celtics do something soon Authentic DaeSean Hamilton Jersey , he’ll get there again.

James bullied his way to 44 points, surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar atop a postseason list and helped the Cleveland Cavaliers even the Eastern Conference finals at 2-2 on Monday night with a 111-102 victory over the Celtics, who are looking forward to getting home before their adoring fans.

Pushed by a raucous crowd that wasn’t so confident a few days ago, the Cavs held off Boston’s comeback in the fourth quarter and squared a tight series that is now a best-of-three.

Cleveland is trying to become the 20th team – out of 300 – to overcome a 2-0 deficit and James, who has already orchestrated two such rallies and is seeking his eighth straight finals, is a step closer to a third.

To do it again the Cavs will have to win in Boston, where the Celtics are 9-0 this postseason.

”We know it’s going to be a hostile environment,” James said. ”We know their fans are going to be very energetic. But we have to just have our same mindset we had when we came home for these two games. If our minds are there, we put ourselves in a position to be victorious.”

Game 5 is Wednesday night at TD Garden, and Celtics coach Brad Stevens is trying to stay positive with a team that has given up a 2-0 lead and fell to 1-6 on the road in these playoffs.

”It’s the best two out of three to go to the NBA Finals. Doesn’t get better than that,” he said. ”Ultimately, anybody that didn’t think this was going to be tough, I mean, everything is tough. In this deal, it’s a blast to have to grit your teeth, get up off the mat and go after it again.”

Kyle Korver added 14 points and Cleveland’s sharp-shooting 37-year-old added three block and several hustle plays, outrunning three Celtics in one sequence and diving for a loose ball.

“I’ve loved Kyle ever since we made the trade to get him here” James said. ”I don’t remember Kyle falling too much like that. I’ve got to keep his body as fresh as possible. But listen, he’s doing whatever it takes to try to help us win, with the blocks, with the strips. Obviously his shot making is very key for our team as well Youth Kenny Young Jersey , but it’s just the intangibles he’s doing for us defensively.”

Tristan Thompson had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, who won despite 19 turnovers and two assists in the second half. Kevin Love had just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting and was in foul trouble, but he made a big 3-pointer and follow shot in the fourth quarter.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 and Boston had all five scorers in double figures, but the Celtics fell behind by 19 in the first half and didn’t have enough to catch Cleveland.

And, of course, they didn’t have James, who moved past Abdul-Jabbar (2,356) for the most field goals in playoff history. James also recorded his 25th career postseason game with at least 40 points – his sixth in this postseason.

The Celtics hung around in the second half and pulled within 100-93 on Marcus Smart’s basket with 4:29 left. But Thompson got free for a dunk, and after a miss by Boston, James recovered after making his seventh turnover by making a steal and layup.

Moments later, James drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to finally put away the young Celtics, who will now feel the immense pressure of trying to hold off the three-time champion.

”He’s the best in the game at evaluating the court and figuring out what he wants and where he wants it,” Stevens said. ”The thing about it is that you just have to battle. You just have to make it as hard as possible, because he’s going to find a matchup that he ultimately wants.”

Stevens considered changing his starting lineup, but decided to stick with the same first five – Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Morris, Al Horford, and Terry Rozier – as the first three games.

Boston’s starters held their own, but none of them was able to match James when it mattered most.

”You hope he misses Dalton Schultz Jersey Elite , that’s about it,” Rozier said. ”He’s a big body and you’ve just got to keep him in front, and hope he misses.”

TIP-INS

Celtics: Stevens was evasive about his starting lineup during his pregame news conference, not wanting to give the Cavs any advance notice. ”We will start five people. I promise,” he said, drawing laughs from media members. … Injured stars Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving are not traveling with the team so they can continue their respective rehabs. Both have been sitting on the bench with their teammates in Boston.

Cavaliers: Won their seventh straight playoff game at home. … Love threw one of his patented ”touchdown” passes in the first quarter to James, who outmaneuvered Smart and Brown like a wide receiver to make the catch and score. … Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 pick in last month’s NFL draft, attended the game. … Improved to 9-3 vs. Boston in the playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena.

AMONGST GIANTS

James seems to reach a milestone every game and he was honored to pass Abdul-Jabbar’s mark.

”To know where I come from, small city 35 miles south of here, and to hear I’m in the same category or talked about and jumping these greats in the playoffs – it’s pretty cool,” he said. ”You hear the scoring, the field goals made, and for a kid that really doesn’t care much about scoring.”

OLD MAN KORVER

Frozen Sean Lee responded with strong words to criticism from former teammate Dez Bryant.

Tyrone Crawford felt compelled to tell the team these Dallas Cowboys won't be in the business of dramas such as Bryant's Twitter-fed rant early in training camp over who he felt was responsible for his offseason release.

With tight end Jason Witten's sudden retirement after 15 years for a TV job, the Cowboys can't defer to the franchise leader in games, starts and catches on any number of topics. Crawford, a defensive lineman, doesn't think they can replace the 2012 NFL Man of the Year either.

"If you're being real with yourself, Jason Witten's one of the best ever to do it," Crawford said. "And if you knew him as a man Cheap Kolton Miller Jersey , one of the best men you'll ever get to meet. To me, there's never going to be another Jason Witten that's going to be around me."

Still, the Cowboys have to figure out life without Witten's leadership. Ask around, the answers will vary.

Quarterback Dak Prescott is a natural choice, both through leadership skills he demonstrated before replacing Tony Romo and the fact that the 25-year-old is already going into this third season as the starter.

Lee, now Dallas' only offensive or defensive player in his 30s (he's 31), always used to wait until the end of the week to address reporters in the locker room during the season. There's talk of him moving that up to be more visible, and the 2016 All-Pro has left no doubt he knows things are different without Witten.

Center Travis Frederick and Zack Martin, who just signed a contract making him the highest-paid guard in the NFL, come up as well. But Frederick stops short of the idea of leadership by committee.

"Committee makes it sound like it's a huge group of guys," said Frederick, who started all 80 games in his first five seasons. "Traditionally in a team like this, you have a group of captains that are a strong group of leaders, maybe five, six guys. I think you're going to find that here.

"But there's been a lot of guys in training. I think that Dak is one of the guys that's most naturally a leader that I've ever been around in my life."

Bryant shockingly called Lee a "snake" on Twitter while suggesting the ninth-year linebacker had a hand in the club's decision to move on from its career leader in touchdown receptions.

Equally shocking was Lee's response, acknowledging that he and Bryant had been at odds over Lee's feeling that Bryant wasn't always accountable. Lee even suggested Bryant still wasn't holding himself accountable. It was the first time Lee had been forced to defend himself on such terms, and he left no doubt how he felt.

"I've been in a leadership role for a long time now and I need to take it to that next level," Lee said. "But there's also, we have a core group of guys. We have a lot of guys where it's easy to be a leader on this football team because of how many great leaders we have, all the way through Connor Williams Jersey , from the top to bottom."

Crawford, a seventh-year player who has been growing into a leadership role over several seasons, wasn't happy that the team found itself in the middle of an unexpected tiff.

"When it comes to things like that and getting focused, I get angry and I say what I want to say and that's what it is," Crawford said. "I feel like I need to say the right things at the right time and I do and that's it."

When Prescott became the starter because of a preseason back injury sustained by Romo two years ago, he spent half that season repeating that it was Romo's team. Somewhere in the middle of an 11-game winning streak, though, the conversation changed. The qualities to lead were already there.

"It's just about finding new ways to lead and it's going to continue to evolve each and every year 鈥?every year that I get more experience and I get older," Prescott said. "New ways I can come in contact with my teammates, motivate them or do whatever I have to do to get the best out of them."

Asked specifically about what Witten's departure meant for Lee's leadership role, coach Jason Garrett almost cut off the question.

"Witt was the guy who was out in front, the most veteran guy, incredibly well-respected guy," Garrett said. "But all these guys have been grasping that mantle for a long time. There's no one guy that can lead as a player. It just doesn't happen that way. You have to have it throughout your team."

The Cowboys had some tangible proof during the first week of training camp.

NOTES: Dallas placed rookie WR Cedrick Wilson, a sixth-round pick, on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and signed rookie Ricky Jeune out of Georgia Tech.

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