Postseason

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Taylor Snow

BOSTON – Al Horford hammered the nail in Cleveland’s coffin Wednesday night when he knocked down his career-high-tying sixth 3-pointer with 56 seconds remaining in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He turned to the crowd, raised both arms in the air, and more than 18,000 fans joined him in blowing the lid off TD Garden.

Less than a minute later, the Boston Celtics walked off the court with a 113-98 series-clinching win, punching their ticket to their third straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals and their sixth in the last eight years.

They did so while riding on the shoulders of their soon-to-be 38-year-old center, who put forth one of the best efforts of his life.

"Tonight was a special night for our group because we had this chance to close it out here at home,” Horford said. “And for me, the biggest thing was bringing energy.”

Horford brought energy in the form of a 22-point, 15-rebound, five-assist, three-block effort, making him just the third player in NBA playoff history to record a 20-15-5 game at age 37 or older along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James. He also became the first player to record at least 15 rebounds, six threes, and three blocks in a playoff game.

“He was unreal,” said Derrick White. “Both sides of the ball. Every little play he made for us. Obviously, he brought the energy, the excitement. He got the crowd going. He was just unreal today for every minute he was out there.”

His most unreal moment came late in the second quarter when he sprinted to the right corner to save a deflected ball from going out of bounds and fired it off Cleveland’s Dean Wade while falling toward the Celtics’ bench.

From that moment, came one of the most magnificent still images of the season – Horford leaping in the air and cocking the ball back like he’s about to throw a spear through Wade’s chest.

“It just gave us that extra possession and pumped our crowd up, pumped our team up,” said Jayson Tatum. “Those plays are so meaningful. And just how he played in the second half on the defensive end, knocking down big shots time and time again. So his performance, his energy, his leadership tonight was crucial.”

Being the emotionally-driven player that he is, Horford can’t help but get amped in these moments. And the electric TD Garden environment only intensifies his passion.

“It's special when you're here at the Garden,” Horford said. “This is something I just don't take for granted, the energy of the fans. Our fans, they love the Celtics. They want us to play hard. They want us to play the right way and I just felt very connected with them tonight. With the way that we were playing, that we got it going, I felt like there was that connection there. And there were just a few times that I wanted to be embraced by that in those moments. And that fuels me. That fuels our team. So it was pretty special.”

Likewise, the Celtics feel that it’s pretty special to see Horford continue to play like a 30-year-old at age 37, and they do not take his contributions for granted.

“Tonight you saw his gift,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla. “His gift is just passion, inspiration, toughness, and competitive nature.”

In return, Horford received a gift of his own: a trip back to the Eastern Conference Finals to put him one step closer to his first NBA championship ring.

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Horford Fuels Boston's Third Straight Trip to ECF

Marc D'Amico

From a one-possession game to a 14-point game – all in the span of just two minutes and 25 seconds.

The Celtics smelled blood in the water early in the fourth quarter, they attacked, and they killed their opponent to punch their way into yet another Eastern Conference Finals.

Four of Boston’s players combined to score 13 points during a critical 13-2 run from the 9:10 mark of the fourth to the 6:45 mark. The final basket of the stretch, a 3-pointer from Jayson Tatum, splashed through the net and forced Cleveland to call for a timeout to regroup its troops.

That 14-point lead, however, was already plenty of cushion for Boston to close out the win.

Jrue Holiday opened the run with a floater and Derrick White followed that bucket up with a 3-pointer. Following a layup by Cleveland’s Darius Garland, Al Horford then connected on one of his six 3-pointers on the night to bump Boston’s lead out to nine. Horford then scored an uncontested layup at the rim off of a beautiful drive and dish from Jaylen Brown, before Tatum connected on his triple to force Cleveland into a timeout.

Boston’s lead never dropped below nine from that moment on before it polished off a 113-98 victory. The Celtics will now appear in their third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, and their sixth in the last eight years.

Q4 :56.4 - [BOS 113-96] Horford 3pt Shot: Made (22 PTS) Assist: Holiday (4 AST)

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 113, Cavaliers 98

Boston Celtics

Donovan Mitchell's availability will be among the top storylines Wednesday when the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Boston Celtics for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

A strained left calf prevented Mitchell from playing Monday, when the top-seeded Celtics took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series with a 109-102 victory in Cleveland. Mitchell was injured in the final minutes of Cleveland's 106-93 loss Saturday in Game 3.

Following Monday's loss, Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Mitchell was day-to-day. Mitchell is averaging 29.6 points per game in the playoffs this season.

The fourth-seeded Cavaliers must win Wednesday to avoid elimination.

"They're a connected group that has been resilient all year long," Bickerstaff said. "We've been through a ton with this group, and never once has our group folded when guys have had opportunities or the team needs them to step up."

Cleveland is 12-16 in the games Mitchell has missed this season.

Darius Garland attempted to fill the scoring void Monday with 30 points and seven assists in 40 minutes. Cleveland was 15 of 48 from 3-point territory in the loss.

"He carried the load for us," Bickerstaff said. "He put pressure on them offensively, made them make tough decisions, and then I thought he made the right play. I thought he did a great job of sparking us and carrying us with spirit."

Boston's victory Monday was the first time it won a playoff game by fewer than 13 points this year. Cleveland kept the pressure on by trimming a 15-point deficit to five points in the fourth quarter.

"It's been a while since we had a grind-it-out, tough, back-and-forth, fight-it-out game," Boston's Jrue Holiday said. "So it felt good to really just get out there and execute and know that any type of game we play, we can execute and get the win."

Boston's Jayson Tatum had 33 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals in the Game 4 win.

"We hung our hat tonight on the defensive end," Tatum said. "We made timely shots and even the ones that we didn't necessarily make, some of those kick-out 3s -- just good execution. Sometimes you don't make shots, but how connected we were on the defensive end -- when we had to get stops, we did."

Boston attempted 24 free throws in Game 4, 17 more than Cleveland.

"I'm not going to go into it, but that's ridiculous for the amount of drives that we have," Garland said. "The amount of paint attacks. Just having seven free throws in a basketball game when they're getting 24, I don't know. I'm not one of the refs.

"I'm not one of those guys with a striped shirt, but I know how many times I get hit. I know how many times my teammates get hit, put on the floor and we can't reciprocate it. It's tough."

A victory Wednesday would advance the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth time in the last eight years. Boston is 14-14 in home playoff games over the past three seasons, but 18-7 in road playoff games during that span.

"Now it's time to go back and play well in front of our fans and give them something to cheer for and try to get a win, " Tatum said.

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5/15 Game 5 Preview: Cavaliers at Celtics

The Boston Celtics finally found themselves in their first crunch-time situation of the postseason Monday night, and they passed the test.

Despite allowing the Cleveland Cavaliers to cut a 15-point deficit down to five in the fourth quarter, Boston managed to maintain a two-possession lead to the final buzzer of Game 4, capturing a 109-102 win at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to take a 3-1 series advantage.

For the Celtics, it was the first game of their playoff run in which fewer than 10 points decided the final score, and it was their first win by fewer than 13. It was also the first time they had found themselves in a clutch scenario (when the score is within five points during the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime) since a 101-100 win over the Sacramento Kings on April 5.

“It’s been a while since we had a grind-it-out, tough, back-and-forth, fight-it-out game,” said Jrue Holiday. “So it felt good to really just get out there and execute and know that any type of game we play, we can execute and get the win.”

Cleveland made things tough on Boston despite dealing with the last-minute absence of Donovan Mitchell, who was ruled out before tip-off with a calf strain.

Darius Garland stepped up to help fill his backcourt mate’s scoring and playmaking voids with a 30-point, seven-assist effort. The Cavs also received a pair of 19-point performances from Caris LeVert and Evan Mobley, along with a 15-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist night from Max Strus.

However, the C’s countered with some masterful individual performances of their own. Jayson Tatum logged his second straight 33-point outing to go along with 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Jaylen Brown added 27 points and eight rebounds. And Jrue Holiday chipped in with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

When it came down to clutch time, that second group was more poised than the first. Especially Brown and Tatum, combining for nine of Boston’s 11 points in the final five minutes.

“Give credit to Cleveland,” said Brown. “They came out with great energy. They played fast, they played hard. They tried to speed us up, they tried to rattle us. And I think it worked in the first half. Then in the second half we imposed ourselves a little better and pulled away a little bit.”

Even though it’s easier on the heart to win in blowout fashion, Joe Mazzulla loves seeing his team grind it out in these crunch-time scenarios.

“I think it’s good to be in those situations,” Boston’s head coach said. “It takes what it takes, so however we have to win the game, we have to do it, so it was good to get reps playing different ways.”

That includes defensive reps. Sure, the team hit some big shots late in the game, but they made some even bigger stops.

“We hung our hat tonight on the defensive end,” said Tatum. “We made timely shots and even the ones that we didn't necessarily make, some of those kick-out threes, just good execution. Sometimes you don't make shots, but how connected we were on the defensive end – when we had to get stops, we did.”

The fact that this gritty win came on the road made it all the more impressive.

“It’s a tough environment, the crowd was great, but as a competitor, it’s really fun to be in an environment like that, win on the road,” said Tatum, whose Celtics came away with two wins in Cleveland, where the Cavs had gone 4-0 in the previous round. “Now it’s time to go back and play well in front of our fans and give them something to cheer for and try to get a win.”

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Celtics Pass First Playoff Clutch Test, Take 3-1 Lead Over Cavs

Max Strus made two mistakes in one second of play, which set the Celtics up to slam the door closed on Game 4 with a 3-1 series lead.

With Cleveland trailing by only five points and with less than 90 seconds remaining in the contest, Strus misfired on a 3-pointer from the top of the arc on a shot that could have made it a one-possession game. Instead, Jaylen Brown rose up at the free-throw line to grab the rebound, all while Strus reached in and fouled him. That foul was the sixth of the night for Strus.

So all in a second of time, Strus missed the opportunity to make it a one-possession game, he fouled Brown to put Boston on the edge of the bonus, and he fouled himself out of the game. That last part looms large, given that Strus had drilled a game-high five 3-pointers to that point of the game.

Brown immediately followed up Strus’ blunders with a knockout triple of his own from the right wing. That’s where Jayson Tatum found him for a 3-pointer that pushed Boston ahead 105-97 with 69 seconds left on the clock and ostensibly ended the game for Cleveland.

So Strus made the big mistakes, and Brown drilled the big shot, all to help the Celtics take a commanding 3-1 series lead back to Boston.

Q4 1:09 - [BOS 105-97] Brown 3pt Shot: Made (27 PTS) Assist: Tatum (5 AST)

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 109, Cavaliers 102

The Boston Celtics will seek back-to-back road victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday when the teams play Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

After splitting the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Boston, the top-seeded Celtics took a 2-1 series lead by earning a 106-93 road victory Saturday night. That bounce-back victory came after the fourth-seeded Cavaliers won Game 2 in Boston, 118-94.

"We were just trying to get a win, understanding that we didn't play as well as we wanted to in Game 2," said Boston's Jayson Tatum, who tossed in a team-high 33 points during the Game 3 victory. "And it was a great test and opportunity for us to come out and respond and play better and play harder and all those things."

Boston's Jaylen Brown added 28 points in Game 3, when the Celtics shot 51.2 percent from the field and made 13 of their 34 attempts from 3-point range.

"I think we just need everybody to be on the same page and everybody to come out with the right effort," Brown said. "That's 85 percent of the battle right there. We come out, we play hard, and then we're on the same page and the rest will take care of itself. We got enough talent in the locker room to beat teams.

"But if we're not on the same page and we're not playing hard, those are when we get ourselves in trouble. So making sure, before the game at film and shootaround, talking to everybody, touching everybody, letting everybody know that, 'Hey, we're not here to play around.' We didn't come to Cleveland for the weather, so let's go."

After allowing 28 points in the opening quarter Saturday, Boston held Cleveland to 65 points the rest of the way. Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points to lead the Cavaliers but appeared to aggravate a left knee injury in the fourth quarter. Mitchell left the court with 1:19 to play and walked straight to the locker room.

Boston led by nine at halftime at 57-48 then pushed the lead to 23 by scoring the first 14 points in the third quarter.

"(The 14-0 run) changed the game," Michell said. "Give them credit. They came out with a sense of urgency. It's tough to come back from that. They came out with an intention."

Mitchell made 7 of 12 3-point attempts, but the rest of the Cavaliers shot 5 of 24 from long range.

"I just think we didn't hit the same shots we did (in Game 2)," Mitchell said. "For us, just being able to finish ... we missed a lot of shots at the rim, myself included, missed a lot of shots that I think we just got to make."

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, the Celtics seem to do their best work on the road. Boston is 3-0 in road playoff games this season, and 17-7 in road playoff games in the last three seasons. The Celtics have a 14-14 record in home playoff games during that same three-year stretch.

"It's the playoffs," Brown said. "Anything can happen, especially if you come out flat. We've got to do a better job of that. We can't think like this series is going to go like last series. We've got to come out and have the same defensive effort going into Game 4, and that's just the urgency we need to have."

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5/13 Game 4 Preview: Celtics at Cavaliers

Neither Jayson Tatum nor Jrue Holiday had been scoring the ball to their standards over the past few games. However, the duo got back on track with their best respective performances of the postseason Saturday night to help the Boston Celtics come through with a bounce-back win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tatum logged game-highs of 33 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists, while Holiday turned in 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and five assists.

Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown kept his hot stretch alive with 28 points on 13-of-17 shooting, and the C’s rolled to a 106-93 win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse where they regained a 2-1 series lead while handing Cleveland its first home loss of the postseason.

Tatum hadn’t logged a 30-point effort since March 28. Opposing teams had been loading up on him defensively of late, forcing him to impact the game in other ways, which he’d been doing. But it was nice to finally have a high-volume scoring night while also leading the game in several other categories.

“He’s a really great player that gets taken advantage of because he’s been really good for a long time,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla. “We really appreciate him. I thought he played a great game on both ends of the floor.”

Brown encouraged Tatum during warmups to come out aggressive, and that’s exactly what he did. The All-NBA wing scored eight points in the opening four minutes of the game and 12 total in the first frame. He drove to the rack relentlessly, earning nine trips to the free-throw line, where he made each attempt.

Al Horford said after the game that it was only a matter of time before Tatum put forth one of his classic, dominant efforts.

“JT is a special player,” Horford said. “He always figures it out. He’s the last guy I worry about.”

Holiday also had a special night. He scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half, logging his highest-scoring game since Feb. 9 (20 points against Washington).

Scoring at high volume isn’t typically part of Holiday’s role on this team, but it’s what the Celtics needed out of him Saturday night, and he delivered at elite efficiency.

“Jrue was amazing tonight, and Jrue is kind of the glue that keeps us all together,” Tatum said. “He literally does everything that we need him to, sacrifices sometimes taking single-digit shots a couple games in a row. On a night where he can attack the mismatches, he can post up guys, he can obviously shoot the three. When he's being aggressive and in that great rhythm, it makes us that much better.”

When those two guys are both in a rhythm simultaneously, it makes the Celtics that much harder to beat. Add in Brown's performance, plus the bounce-back effort from the defense, and you've got a recipe for a convincing win.

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Tatum, Holiday Bounce Back on Offense, Help C’s Respond with Game 3 Win

The Cleveland Cavaliers cut what had been a 23-point deficit down to single digits partway through the fourth quarter of Game 3 Saturday night, to which Payton Pritchard responded with one of the biggest momentum-swinging shots of his career.

With 7:42 left in the game, Boston’s backup point guard confidently rose up from the Cavs’ logo and buried the triple to put the C’s up by 12 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

That long-range dagger kickstarted a 10-5 run, and Boston led by double digits for the remainder of the game en route to a 106-93 win to take a 2-1 series lead.