Garnett’s steal on the first possession of the second half sent Ray Allen on a fast break for a long 2-pointer, then Rondo’s steal and fast-break layup made it 47-46 for Boston’s first lead of the game.

The Celtics made nine of their first 11 shots in the second half, scoring seven straight points to turn a one-point advantage into a 65-57 lead with three minutes left in the third. Rondo literally jumped out of his pants in the effort; his shorts slid down when he blocked West to protect a five-point lead with 4 minutes to play in the third.

James made eight of his first 11 shots and seemed to snap out of his series-long shooting slump. But he made just one basket in the third, a baby hook with 45 seconds left in the quarter, and he scored eight in the last five minutes after Boston already led by 12.

West had 21 points for Cleveland, which missed 10 free throws in the second half. Ilgauskas was held to playoff-low six.

James scored 11 in the first quarter as the Cavaliers opened an 18-9 lead, but the Celtics quickly cut it to three points. He scored 12 more in the second.

Then he finally missed one.

Rondo set up Garnett for a short jumper, then the Celtics point guard made consecutive 3-pointers to make it 43-37. Pierce hit a pair of free throws to cut Cleveland’s lead to four points with 1:33 left.

Notes: West (eyes) and Ben Wallace (dizziness) left the court for the Celtics’ introductions to avoid the smoke that accompanies the pregame fireworks. West said he went to an eye specialist after Thursday’s shootaround. “It’s hard to play this game with one eye unless you’re a pirate,” he said. ... The Celtics scored 12 points in the fourth quarter of Game 4 and 22 in the first 16 minutes of Game 5, giving them 34 points in a 28-minute span. ... Daniel Gibson went to the locker room in the fourth quarter with a bruised left shoulder. He is scheduled for an MRI in Cleveland on Thursday. ... Celebrities in the crowd: Rob Lowe, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Louis C.K., Jonah Hill (Superbad), Donnie Wahlberg, JoJo Levesque and various New England Patriots.

MORE FROM NBA

NBA Section Front

Stuckey steals show from Beasley   Video: Celtics aiming for repeat Rivers says he's happy with training camp D'Antoni praises Robinson as Knicks break camp Nuggets bring back Juwan Howard NBA considers expanding use of instant replay Opinion: Stern throws the book at NBA ref conspiracy Ask the Expert: This season is full of questions Vote: Which team will make surprise '09 run? NBA rumors: Tinsley traded to Nuggets? NBA Section Front   Add NBA headlines to your news reader: