James scored 21 points on another off-shooting night, but Delonte West scored 21, Joe Smith had 17 and the Cavaliers raced to a large, early lead in Game 3 in a 108-84 victory Saturday night over the road-challenged Boston Celtics to pull within 2-1 in their playoff series.

West, who spent three seasons with the Celtics, carried the scoring load for the Cavaliers, who are attempting to become the 14th team in NBA history to come back from an 0-2 deficit and win a best-of-seven series.

They've had practice at it.

Last year, the Cavaliers lost the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals to Detroit before beating the Pistons four in a row to advance to the finals for the first time. After dropping Games 1 and 2 in Boston, Cleveland needed James (8-of-42 in the losses) to shoot his way out of a slump.

James was only 5-of-16 from the floor, but his teammates stepped it up, going a combined 32-of-54 (59 percent) to tighten the second-round series. Cleveland roared to a 32-13 lead after one quarter, led by 17 at half, 16 after three and easily withstood a few Boston counter punches.

The Celtics remain lost on the road, and Game 4 is Monday night in Cleveland.

They've yet to win outside of Massachusetts during this postseason, not an encouraging sign for a team with its sights on a 17th league title. The Celtics went 0-3 in Atlanta during the first round as the Hawks averaged 100.7 points and shot 47.6 percent in three home games.

Kevin Garnett scored 17 points, Paul Pierce 14 and Ray Allen 10 as Boston's big three combined for 41 points.

But the trio was no match for Cleveland's Fab Four of West, Wally Szczerbiak, Smith and Ben Wallace -- all acquired in deals at the Feb. 21 trading deadline -- who totaled 63 points, 20 rebounds and six 3-pointers. West made four 3s, Smith went 7-of-8 and Wallace, who wasn't expected to play because of an inner ear infection, gave Cleveland an inside presence while guarding Garnett.

The Cavs played a nearly flawless first quarter. They shot 65 percent (13-of-20), had 11 assists on those field goals and didn't commit a turnover. Beyond that, Cleveland didn't rely on James to carry it, as six other Cavs combined for 27 of 32 points.

At halftime, James only had seven points but the Cavs were shooting 66 percent (19-of-29) and moving the ball on offense, something coach Mike Brown has insisted is key if his team plans to advance past the league's best defensive squad.

Before the game, James said a few "easy baskets" might help him get started.

His first one was both simple -- and strong.

With the Cavs leading 10-4, James poked the ball away from Pierce near the free-throw line and broke free for a two-handed, stare-at-the-rim dunk that sent Cleveland's hyped crowd into a frenzy.

Wallace scored twice underneath and Szczerbiak's two free throws put the Cavaliers up 18-6.

Cleveland maintained its double-digit lead throughout the second half, and closed out a game it had to have.

Get $150+ in coupons in every Sunday N&O. Click here for convenient home delivery.