Celtics fend off Cavs, return to Eastern Conference finals

BOSTON — The Celtics have been closely favored to beat the Cavaliers even earlier than Cleveland had three of its prime six gamers — together with star guard Donovan Mitchell — lacking for Sport 5 of this Jap Convention semifinal sequence Wednesday evening.

And but, regardless of that, Boston discovered itself in a one-possession sport early within the fourth quarter — staring down the opportunity of one more painful loss on its house court docket within the postseason, an all-too-familiar state of affairs in recent times.

Led by 25 factors, 10 rebounds and 9 assists from Jayson Tatum, plus a motivational efficiency from the crew’s oldest participant, Al Horford, Boston escaped with a 113-98 victory — and, with it, a visit to the Jap Convention finals for the third straight season, and the sixth time prior to now eight years.

“Shut-out video games are powerful. It is a degree of stress, anxiousness, desperation; it takes what it takes,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned. “You bought to play 48 — hopefully, perhaps extra at instances.

“And on the finish of the day, you simply acquired to maintain going … proceed to chip away on the issues you possibly can management.”

Boston now awaits the winner of the opposite Jap Convention semifinal between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers, which New York leads 3-2 heading into Friday’s Sport 6 in Indianapolis, with the convention finals set to start at TD Backyard both Sunday afternoon or Tuesday evening.

“It simply exhibits the character of the crew, the group,” Tatum mentioned of Boston advancing to the convention finals for the fifth time in his seven NBA seasons. “Folks would possibly suppose that it is a provided that we’re purported to be right here, however I give plenty of credit score to everybody within the entrance workplace, the teaching workers, the trainers, the blokes that hand out the tools, the ball boys, the cooks, the cooks, the safety crew. We’re all on this collectively. I do, I imply that.

“All people has an impact on one another, and all of us influence one another to assist successful and construct this tradition that we’ve. All people must be pleased with themselves. Clearly, it is not the tip all, be all. We need to win a championship, however we’re doing one thing proper.”

For a lot of the primary half Wednesday evening, nevertheless, it seemed like which may not be the case, regardless of Cleveland taking part in with out Mitchell (left calf pressure); guard Caris LeVert (left knee bone bruise), Mitchell’s alternative within the beginning lineup in Sport 4; and beginning middle Jarrett Allen, who missed his eighth straight sport due to a bruised rib.

Cleveland led for chunks of the primary half — primarily behind a red-hot taking pictures efficiency from former Celtic Marcus Morris Sr., who had 14 factors on 6-for-8 taking pictures within the opening 24 minutes — earlier than Boston finally took a 58-52 lead into halftime.

It was the newest instance of how the Celtics have performed wildly in another way at house in comparison with on the highway over the previous few playoffs. Coming into Wednesday’s motion, Boston had gone 14-14 at TD Backyard for the reason that begin of the 2022 playoffs — essentially the most video games performed (28) with out a successful report at house over three postseasons in NBA historical past, in keeping with ESPN Stats & Data analysis. That features dropping Sport 2 of each Boston’s first-round sequence in opposition to the Miami Warmth and this sequence in opposition to Cleveland regardless of each opponents lacking key contributors due to accidents.

Ultimately, although, Boston was capable of get some traction after that gradual begin — and inject some power into its house crowd — behind a number of hustle performs from Horford, who’s simply a few weeks shy of his thirty eighth birthday and in the midst of his seventeenth NBA season. After taking pictures 4-for-22 from 3-point vary over the primary 4 video games of the sequence, together with 0-for-10 within the two video games in Cleveland, Horford hit six in Sport 5, and he repeatedly stored performs alive along with his power.

“It feels nice as a result of we gained,” mentioned Horford, who completed with 22 factors, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in 35 minutes. “That is the one satisfaction I get out of it.

“However I am glad as a result of I used to be capable of assist the crew win this sport. Now we have to offer Cleveland credit score. They have been depleted they usually simply didn’t give up. They actually pushed us to the brink.”

The Cavaliers definitely did that, due to the most effective offensive sport within the younger playoff profession of third-year large man Evan Mobley, who had 33 factors on 15-for-24 taking pictures in 43 minutes in Allen’s absence. Morris, in the meantime, completed with 25 factors on 10-for-13 taking pictures, together with 5-for-6 from 3-point vary.

However Boston — together with Horford — shut down Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, holding him to 11 factors on 4-for-17 taking pictures after he went for 30 in Sport 4 in Mitchell’s absence, with the veteran large man getting switched on him a number of instances within the fourth quarter and stopping the smaller, faster guard from scoring.

Boston’s sheer edge in expertise finally allowed the Celtics to wear down the Cavaliers and draw back down the stretch. And, after Horford was pulled within the closing moments to an enormous ovation, he and the Celtics have been formally off to one more journey to the convention finals.

“Joe talked about us taking the problem defensively, individually, and this was a type of nights that we needed to — as a person, we needed to look within the mirror and step up and attempt to do our greatest,” Horford mentioned of the problem of slowing down Garland late within the sport. “And for me, it was simply making an attempt to do no matter I might and use my lengths and simply staying stable, and simply persevering with to tackle that problem time after time.”