Cleveland colossus LeBron James scored 32 points in one of the performances of the 2007 NBA playoff series to kickstart his side's charge in the Eastern Conference finals.

James answered his critics in the 88-82 triumph against Detroit to close the gap to 2-1 in the seven-game series.

The Cavaliers, out to become just the third team in NBA history to win a best-of-seven conference final after trailing 2-0, were a determined outfit at home.

James led the way for the victors after passing up the final shot in game one and misfiring on a spinning hook in the closing seconds of game two.

His 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists were the most important of his young career, including 12 crucial points in the final quarter.

James was backed by Zydrunas Ilgauskas (16 points), Sasha Pavlovic (13) and Drew Gooden (12) for the Cavs, who can even the series with a win in game four on Wednesday (AEST).

Rasheed Wallace had 16 points and Chris Webber 15 to lead the Pistons, the east's best road team during the regular season.

Detroit, which needed seven games to put away the Cavs in last year's playoffs, could have effectively ended this series with another road win.

They must return to Cleveland for game four.