"With me being the leader, if I don't stay focused, the whole team will unravel," he said.

The Wizards baited him, clobbered him and berated him. But through it all, he's kept his cool.

"I can't afford to get kicked out of the game," James said. "I mean too much to my team. I'm too important to my team. I need to be out there on the court."

The Wizards, trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, have tried to rile up James.

"People are trying to distract him, take him off his game," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "He's just going about his business. He's got to protect himself."

Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said he doesn't care how much the Wizards talked.

"The only thing that matters is who wins or loses the series," he said.

WIZARDS 88, CAVALIERS 87: Swingman Caron Butler's driving lay-up with 3.9 seconds remaining was the dagger, as the Wizards slipped past the Cavs on Wednesday in Game 5 at Quicken Loans Arena.

Butler responded with a career playoff-high 32 points, nine rebounds and five assists. One could make a case that he was the best player on the court -- at least for one night.

"We heard all the quotes about the series being over," Butler said. "Obviously, this team has been through a lot this season, a ton of adversity. We've been proving the doubters wrong all season."

The Wizards climbed back in the best-of-seven series, 3 games to 2. The series now shifts back to Washington for Game 6 Friday.

Guard Delonte West's three-point play with 1:47 to play extended the Cavs' lead to five points, 87-82.

They failed to score another point.

Forward LeBron James missed a driving lay-up at the buzzer and there was no foul called, even though he thought there was contact.

James, who had a game-high 34 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, said the Cavs remain confident.

I'm looking forward to the challenge," he said. "I'm excited about Game 6. We have a chance to close them out again.

As long as I'm on the court, we have a great chance to win. Of course I'm confident."