Celtics fend off Cavs, return to Eastern Conference finals

D’Angelo Russell

Tim Bontemps, ESPNMay 15, 2024, 09:24 PM ET

BOSTON — The Celtics were heavily favored to beat the Cavaliers even before Cleveland had three of its top six players — including star guard Donovan Mitchell — missing for Game 5 of this Eastern Conference semifinal series Wednesday night.

And yet, despite that, Boston found itself in a one-possession game early in the fourth quarter — staring down the possibility of yet another painful loss on its home court in the postseason, an all-too-familiar scenario in recent years.

Led by 25 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists from Jayson Tatum, plus a motivational performance from the team’s oldest player, Al Horford, Boston escaped with a 113-98 victory — and, with it, a trip to the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight season, and the sixth time in the past eight years.

“Close-out games are tough. It’s a level of stress, anxiety, desperation; it takes what it takes,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “You got to play 48 — hopefully, maybe more at times.

“And at the end of the day, you just got to keep going … continue to chip away at the things you can control.”

Boston now awaits the winner of the other Eastern Conference semifinal between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers, which New York leads 3-2 heading into Friday’s Game 6 in Indianapolis, with the conference finals set to begi
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