Paul Pierce is guarded by LeBron James in the first half of yesterday’s game.

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson

BOSTON — Big-time players play their best in big-time games.

It doesn’t get much bigger than Game Seven of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and Cleveland megastar LeBron James knew that. He went out and finally had the breakout game that he had been searching for against the Celtics, living up to his billing as “The King.”

He put his team on his back and tried to carry them to victory. But his 45 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds were not enough to get Cleveland past Boston. The Celtics survived to play another day, 97-92.

Boston coach Doc Rivers wasn’t surprised that James had a monster game.

“I anticipated LeBron playing great,” Rivers said. “You know great players just do.” But the Celtics were able to win, thanks in large part to Paul Pierce, who had a career-defining game with 41 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. When it was clear that the two were destined to have a big game, James challenged Pierce in the middle of the court.

“The fans came to see Paul Pierce and LeBron James play,” James said he told Pierce. “Which guy is going to lead his team to victory? They came to see us play, so let’s give the fans something to remember.”

Boston threw everything but the kitchen sink at James, but nothing slowed him down until it mattered most, in the final minute of the game, when the Celtics got James to force a shot with 22 seconds left that he badly missed with the Celts clinging to a 91-88 lead.

Boston got the rebound, and that forced Cleveland to foul.

Boston knocked down six free throws in the final 18 seconds of the game to hold on for the victory.

Before then, James could do no wrong. He drove to the hoop, got fouled, knocked down shots, and did his best to get his teammates involved.

In addition, he guarded Pierce for the entire game, but Pierce won that battle.

“For me, I always want to guard the best,” James said.

“If I’m going to be the best, then I’ve got to guard the best, and I took Paul Pierce as a challenge this whole series, to guard him. And he played extremely well.”

James scored 9 of Cleveland’s 13 points in the first quarter. He added 14 more in the second quarter, but the Cavaliers still trailed, 50-40, at halftime despite 23 points from James. James and Pierce went shot for shot in the third quarter, both accumulating nine points in the session, before James exploded for 13 more in the fourth quarter while trying to rally the Cavs. Even though James led the NBA in scoring this year, he said he would try to get even better in the offseason.

“I think last year at the end of the season when we lost four straight games in the Finals, I knew I had to get extremely better,” James said.

roblee@projo.com