The Cleveland Cavaliers have forced a deciding game seven in the Eastern Conference finals with a 109-99 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Talks about the possibility of LeBron James leaving Cleveland in the summer in free agency could not have appeared further from his mind as he put on a sensational performance in front of his home crowd.

James scored a huge 46 points – his seventh outing of the play-offs with at least 40 points – as well as clocking up 11 rebounds and nine assists to be the night’s standout man.

Boston had taken the early advantage, leading 25-20 by the end of the first quarter, but the Cavs made a tremendous fightback, a James three-pointer eight minutes into the second giving Cleveland their first lead of the night.

The Cavs held on to that lead, taking the scoreline to 83-73 by the end of the third thanks to 18 points on 6-10 shooting from George Hill.

Boston continued to apply the pressure, however, with Terry Rozier cutting the lead to 10 with his fifth three-pointer of the night in the dying seconds of the third.

Jayson Tatum – who scored 27 – got Boston within seven with a slam dunk in the fourth quarter but three consecutive three-pointers from James saw out the victory and the Cavs’ eighth straight win at the Quicken Loans Arena.

With the series now level at 3-3, the Cavs will travel to TD Garden, where Boston have not lost in the last 10 games of the post-season.

It is not yet known whether Kevin Love will make it to game seven after the All-Star left the game following a head injury in a clash with Tatum in the first quarter.