LeBron and Co. may be a force in the East for awhile

	LeBron James and the Cavs have charged past the rest of the Eastern Conference. John Biever/SI
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CLEVELAND -- A poster of LeBron James dunking over Spurs forward Tim Duncan was displayed in the locker stall of the Cavs superstar before Saturday night's Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Now James will get a chance to soar over Duncan -- and perhaps to the NBA championship.

"I've always believed in us. From Day One," James said after helping Cleveland eliminate the Pistons and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. "We've made it happen. This is special."

It was a somewhat unlikely coronation, given that the Cavs were considered too young and offensively-challenged to compete with the veteran Pistons. It was even more unlikely after Cleveland lost the first two games of the series.

But James showed once again why he is one of the NBA's true superstars, helping his team become just the third in NBA history to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the conference finals.

"If I could put into words what's going on in my head right now, we'd be here another three hours," said James, who celebrated at the final whistle by pumping his fist and jumping into the arms of 7-foot-3 teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas. "We just believed. Guys stepped up."

James certainly got some unlikely help in Game 6 from rookie point guard Daniel Gibson, who had 31 points.

He also got plenty of support from a boisterous Cleveland crowd that turned the Quicken Loans Arena into an ear-ringing show worthy of the city's famed rock n' roll museum down the street. Decked out in burgundy T-shirts, the crowd roared from start to finish. Not even a bizarre 21-minute delay at the start of the second quarter caused by a shot clock malfunction could dampen their enthusiasm.

But while that delay threatened to kill the Cavs' momentum after a strong finish to the first quarter -- and precipate talk of "The Clock" joining "The Shot" and "The Drive" in Cleveland sports infamy -- it proved to be only a temporary setback.

The Cavs' defense, as it did all series, toughened in the second half and held Detroit to 34 points over the final 24 minutes. Meanwhile, James and Gibson did the rest.

Gibson might have been the surprise hero, but James certainly made his mark. He finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, and generally kept his team in the flow all night. He worked to get his teammates involved early, racking up five assists in the first quarter.

He also sparked the Cavs' fourth quarter rally with a huge play. It came early in the fourth after Gibson had hit the second of back-to-back treys to give Cleveland a 73-67 lead and send the Q crowd into a frenzy.

Before the game James was asked if he was concerned the Pistons might come at him with more physical play in Game 6 after his 48-point masterpiece in Game 5. "I'm a football player," James joked, referring to his days as a high school receiver. On this particular play, he did a pretty good impression of an NFL safety.

Coming out of a timeout the Pistons tried to set up a play, but James jumped the entry pass from Lindsey Hunter and took it to the house. He also drew a foul while sending Hunter sprawling to the floor, then hit the free throw for a 76-67 lead. The Cavs then took off from there, with Gibson nailing another three moments later off a pass from James, for a 79-67 lead.

All that remained after that was the Pistons' predictable unraveling, courtesy of Rasheed Wallace. With 7:44 left, the volatile Detroit forward erupted after drawing his sixth and final foul. He immediately began barking at referee Eddie Rush, despite a face-to-face plea from teammate Antonio McDyess, and was summarily ejected.

Wallace's frustration was a telling sign for a Pistons team that seemed to be fractured and coming apart over the final four games. Detroit indeed now could be facing an offseason featuring more changes than they wanted to make. While free agent Chauncey Billups almost certainly will be back, Pistons GM Joe Dumars might have to look at other areas. After two consecutive disappointing playoff finishes, the future of Wallace and perhaps coach Flip Saunders could be up for discussion.

In some ways the Pistons face a situation eerily similar to the one their old Bad Boys faced against the Bulls' ascension in the early '90s. Back then they were coming off consecutive NBA titles but they couldn't stop the rising team with the transcendent superstar. Now they face the prospect of dealing with the 22-year-old James for the next decade or so.

Most likely, Dumars will settle for some minor adjustments and not make radical changes. The Pistons, after all, still have the core of a team that has made five straight trips to the conference finals. Meanwhile the other East contenders all have issues. The Heat are old. The Bulls need a post player. The Raptors and Magic aren't there yet.

But while Detroit will head home to mull over such matters, the Cavs are headed to San Antonio for Thursday's Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Win or lose in the championship round, they have seized the throne in the East.