Drew Gooden has been unstoppable around the glass this preseason. Nathaniel S. Butler NBAE/Getty Images

The Celtics’ superstar scrapped with just about every Cavalier on the court – and even spat towards the Cavaliers that weren’t – in a heated third quarter exchange. But the Wine and Gold got the last laugh, dropping Doc Rivers’ squad for the second time in three nights, 95-88, at the Schottenstein Center on the campus of Ohio State University.

Pierce and LeBron James squared off in a thrilling third quarter duel. Pierce scored on consecutive trips down the court, but LBJ answered back with pair of buckets, including a steal and breakaway dunk. With the Cavaliers’ bench going berserk from James’ breakaway, Pierce – who’s got the bite to match the bark – yelled at the Cleveland bench to sit down. It was at that point that Mr. Pierce expectorated in the general direction of the Cavalier reserves.

“It’s really not that important,” said Paul Silas, following the fracas. “What’s important is for us to keep our poise and keep our eyes on the prize and execute our offense and not be disturbed by that kind of stuff.”

The Cavaliers came into the contest having won four straight preseason games, including a 96-91 victory over the same Celtics on Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Last Saturday’s game was unusually physical for a preseason contest and Monday’s slugfest provided more of the same. It’s impossible to deny the budding rivalry between the two clubs who swapped players last December. Ricky Davis took some parting shots, calling Cleveland a “black hole.” Adding fuel to the fire, Boston edged the Cavaliers by one game for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race last season.

“Every night we play ball, you know we’re going to go out and compete,” said LeBron James of his possible new nemeses. “I love playing Boston. I guess we got a rival now!”

Drew Gooden continued his prolific preseason, doubling up with a massive 25-point, 10-rebound performance. LeBron James, who was the target of most of Pierce’s ire, filled the boxscore with 21 points, eight assists and four boards. Zydrunas Ilgauskas tallied 13 points before fouling out in the fourth and Jeff McInnis scored a dozen points in the win.

Gooden hit his first four shots of the game and went 10-for-15 from the floor overall. Gooden has doubled-up in four of the Cavaliers’ first six exhibition games and is quickly making everyone forget about his predecessor.

Pierce – along with new Celtic point guard Gary Payton – led Boston with 14 points apiece. Mark Blount was the only other Celtic in double-figures with 13 points, but he gave Big Z fits on both ends of the floor.

The rhubarb’s origin was midway through the first quarter, when Pierce and LeBron had a major collision at midcourt while going for a loose ball. Boston’s phlegmatic forward crowned King James and never bothered to help him up. Things got even hairier in second, when the Tractor Traylor blocked two consecutive Ricky Davis’ shot attempts in the paint that led to an Ira Newble breakaway dunk.

By the end of the third quarter, Dick Bavetta – sporting a mid-season tan – had his hands full with both small forwards. LeBron and Pierce staged an epic battle in the period and tempers were flaring. Part of it was playing the same team twice in three days.

“That’s got to have something to do with it,” said Scott Williams, who got 12 minutes off the bench and went 3-for-6 from the floor. “We had two games in back to back non-NBA cities and I’m sure guys were cooped up in their hotel rooms and had some of that extra energy.”

Part of it was that the regular season is nearing. And part of it is that these two teams really seem to not like each other. Both James and Pierce were issued technical fouls following The Truth’s “outburst.”

The Celtics had fought back to tie the game at 83 before Jeff McInnis took over with a pair of three-pointers – part of a late 9-0 run – that sank the Celts for good.

“We’re getting our rhythm together,” said McInnis, who is having a spectacular exhibition season as well. “And it showed in the fourth quarter. We got it together and found a way to win.”

The Wine and Gold has now run off five straight wins in the preseason after dropping the opener in Memphis. With the season opener just over one week away, the Cavaliers will try to keep the streak rolling on Thursday, when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Atlanta Hawks.