Boston completed a 4-1 victory over Cleveland with a 113-98 win before Dallas beat Oklahoma City 104-92.
The Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 to reach their third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, while Western Conference top seed Oklahoma City came to the brink of elimination after falling 104-92 at home to Dallas.
Jayson Tatum’s 25 points helped the Celtics overcome an injury-plagued Cavs lineup to complete a 4-1 best-of-seven series victory in Boston on Wednesday.
The top seed in the Eastern Conference will face the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks for a spot in the NBA Finals.
But while Boston continues its progress, Oklahoma City’s playoff campaign hangs in the balance after a damaging loss to Dallas.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic led the way with a triple-double, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Mavs lead the series 3-2 and can clinch a spot in the Western Conference finals with a Game 6 victory in Dallas on Saturday.
“We just got one more win in two games and that’s it,” Doncic said. “It’s 3-2, but that’s nothing. We have to finish and continue with the same mentality.”
Doncic was furious after the Mavs lost the initiative in their Game 4 loss at Texas on Sunday, but said a more relaxed approach was key to Wednesday’s commanding effort.
“Sometimes I forget I love playing basketball, this is what I do,” Doncic said. “My mental focus was just going out there with a smile on my face and playing basketball.”
Doncic received offensive support from Derrick Jones Jr with 19 points, while three other players scored in double figures.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder’s scorers with 30 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
WEDNESDAY’S FINAL SCORE
Jayson Tatum and the @celtics take care of business at home and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals!
Horford: 22 PTS, 6 3PM, 15 REB, 5 AST, 3 BLK
White: 18 PTS, 4 3PM, 5 REB, 6 AST
Mobley: 33 PTS, 7 REBBOS faces the winner of NYK/IND pic.twitter.com/Uhav8hbCoV
-NBA (@NBA) May 16, 2024
‘Battle-tested’ Celtics want to go all the way
Previously, Cleveland’s hopes of returning to the series with Boston were dented before the game after it was confirmed that three of their top six players – Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert – were injured.
But Cleveland shrugged off that setback to produce a battling performance that saw them pull within three points of the Celtics midway through the fourth quarter.
Evan Mobley was excellent for Cleveland, scoring a game-high 33 points, while Marcus Morris Sr added 25 off the bench.
However, just when Celtics fans at TD Garden were nervously wondering if a shock defeat was in the cards, Boston stitched together a decisive 13-2 run – capped by a Tatum three-pointer – that left them ahead by 14. points at 101- 87.
Tatum, who also had 10 rebounds and nine assists, said Boston prepared for a fight despite Cleveland’s injured lineup.
“Anyone who has ever played in this league understands what happens when someone’s best players leave,” Tatum said. “The rest of the guys have more freedom, play with a different level of confidence and play differently.
“Our mentality coming into this game was, ‘It doesn’t matter how long it takes, it’s how long it takes.’ We didn’t expect to win the game in the first or second quarter. We grind.
Tatum said Boston is now determined to break its recent dismal record in the Eastern Conference finals. Boston has lost in the Eastern Conference finals in four of five games dating back to the 2016-17 season.
“Each year presents different challenges,” Tatum said. “Me and the rest of the team have been to the conference finals about four or five times.
“We have been battle-tested. We know what it takes. We just have to put the individual things aside and try to overcome this obstacle.”
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
