EDS: UPDATES with Suns-Spurs; SHOULD STAND.
By The Associated Press
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -LeBron James scored 23 points, and Cleveland advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 15 years with an 88-72 victory over New Jersey on Friday night.
Cleveland won the series 4-2 and heads to Detroit on Monday night for its third appearance in a conference finals and the first since 1992. James, who had eight rebounds and eight assists, needed only four years to get the Cavs into the NBA’s final four.
James spent most of the third quarter on the bench in foul trouble and Cleveland managed just eight points. New Jersey cut what had been a 22-point deficit to one, but James returned and reserves Donyell Marshall and Daniel Gibson hit big shots and the Nets never could take the lead.
Marshall was 6-of-10 from 3-point range for 18 points and Gibson added eight points. They had combined for 26 points total in the first five games of the series.
Jason Kidd had 19 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Nets, who lost in the conference semifinals for the second straight year.
Spurs 114, Suns 106
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Manu Ginobili had 33 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio, which advanced to the Western Conference finals for the third time in five years.
Tony Parker added 30 points and Tim Duncan had 24 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high nine blocked shots for the Spurs, who saw a 20-point lead cut to five late in the game, but they held on to win the series in six games.
San Antonio will host the Utah Jazz on Sunday in the opening game of the Western Conference finals.
The Suns had All-NBA first-team selection Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw back from their one-game suspensions for leaving the bench area during an altercation. Stoudemire led the Suns with 38 points, 15 in the fourth quarter, and 12 rebounds.
San Antonio’s Robert Horry missed the second of his two-game suspension for the hit on Steve Nash that started the incident.
Phoenix, which trailed 81-67 after three quarters, got as close as 106-101 with 34 seconds to play behind Nash’s 15 points in the final period.
Ginobili made two free throws and Michael Finley hit a basket to put the Spurs up by nine points with 17 seconds left.
Nash finished with 18 points and 14 assists.
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