AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Detroit Pistons seemed to seize control of Game 5 in the Eastern Conference finals, scoring eight straight points to take a seven-point lead in regulation.

Then, LeBron James took over.

James scored a career playoff-high 48 points — including his team's final 25 points, and 29 of its last 30 — to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-107 double-overtime victory Thursday night and put them within a win of the NBA finals for the first time in franchise history.

"I was able to will my team to victory," he said. "This is definitely a big win, one of the biggest wins in Cavaliers' franchise history. For me and my teammates, it's definitely the biggest win.

"But we have a goal, we can't dwell on this when we have another game on Saturday. We have got to do our best to try to win that ballgame and get where we wanted to be all year."

Game 6 is Saturday night in Cleveland and if necessary, Game 7 will be Monday night back at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

If James can come remotely close to what he did Thursday night, the series might not return to Michigan.

The San Antonio Spurs, who eliminated Utah on Wednesday, have a week off before hosting Game 1 of the NBA finals.

After James' breathtaking display of talent and determination, the 22-year-old star said he felt terrible.

"I'm banged up. I'm winded. I'm fatigued," he said. "I've got all day tomorrow. It's going to be tough to get some rest when you got a crazy, 2-year-old running around the house. So hopefully, I can take him to one of his grandma's house."

James has the playoff-tested Pistons on the brink of going home.

He made a go-ahead layup with 2.2 seconds left and Detroit's Chauncey Billups missed a shot in the lane on the ensuing possession.

The Pistons have lost three straight in the series after winning the first two at home, and appear to have only history to comfort them. Detroit won the first two games of the conference semifinals last year, then lost three straight and needed to win on the road and then at home in Game 7.

The Pistons, with four of the same starters, also advanced in the 2004 and 2005 playoffs after trailing 3-2.