BOSTON-. Al Horford wanted to savor the moment. Boston Celtics remains green.
The action had stopped and the Celtics' victory was no longer in doubt. The Dominican turned towards a sideline, took a few steps, stopped and extended his arms above his head.
The already excited TD Garden crowd rose to its feet to applaud Horford and the Celtics. The mission was accomplished.
Jayson Tatum had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Boston won 113-98 on Wednesday at Cleveland Cavaliers to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the third consecutive year.
Horford added 22 points, including six of Boston's 19 3-pointers, as well as 15 boards as the Celtics earned their third straight win in the series and won 4-1.
“We had a great opportunity at home to handle this, and I knew it was going to take more than just normal handling,†said Horford, who joined LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players in 37 years or more to record a playoff game with 20 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in history.
“It is something special, difficult to achieve… This is another positive step towards the place we want to reach.†.
Now they await the winner of the series between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. New York is ahead in the series 3-2.
This will be Jaylen Brown's sixth consecutive appearance in the conference finals, and the fifth for Tatum, who considered this a test of the team's culture.
“It just shows the character of this organization. “People assume we should be here,” he said. “We are all in this together… We are doing something right.†.
The Cavs were incredibly decimated by injuries, without star Donovan Mitchell (calf), center Jarrett Allen (ribs) and backup Caris LeVert (knee).
Cleveland stayed close on the scoreboard in the first three quarters and led 88-85 at the beginning of the final period. Boston then went on a 13-2 run to regain the lead 101-87 with 6:44 left.
Evan Mobley scored a career-high 33 points and seven boards, Marcus Morris Sr. added five triples and 25 points.
Cleveland now enters a summer of uncertainty due to the future of Mitchell and coach JB Bickerstaff,
Mitchell was essential for the Cavs in his second postseason with the team. He was considered a fifth-time All-Star in the regular season and averaged 29.6 points in the playoffs, but missed the last two games due to injury.
Mitchell is eligible to sign a contract extension, but has shown no signs that he wants to stay or leave Cleveland.
