AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 21 (UPI) -- Chauncey Billups sank a three-pointer with 1:52 left Monday to give Detroit a 79-76 win over Cleveland in the first game of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.
Cleveland missed two chances in the closing 20 seconds.
Richard Hamilton had 24 points and seven assists for the Pistons, who are in the conference finals for a fifth straight year. Billups scored 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 22 points and 13 rebounds, but he missed a potential go-ahead jumper with 15 seconds left for Cleveland, which failed to score over the final 2:08 of the game.
LeBron James ended with just 10 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Cavs, who are in the conference finals for the first time since 1992.
James hit just 5-of-15 from the field. With under 10 seconds left, James passed to Donyell Marshall, who missed a wide-open three-pointer.
