Led by Al Horford and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
BOSTON — Dominance is where you find it, and as far as the Boston Celtics are concerned, they’ve been plenty dominant of late in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Their 113-98 victory in Game 5 Wednesday in Boston might not have satisfied some diehards or those inclined to wager. It took longer than expected to put away the woefully undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden as the Cavs were within 88-85 with less than 10 minutes to play.
The final margin didn’t get the job done according to the pregame betting line (minus-15.5). And the gentlemen’s sweep might have felt a little too gentlemanly for a No. 1 seed matched up against a hobbled No. 4.
But when the confetti cleared, the Celtics could be happy with their achievements. They grabbed the first of four available spots in the NBA’s conference finals. They’re assured of more rest and prep time this week than whoever fills the other berths.
They improved their overall record since the season began to 72-20, thanks to a 64-18 regular season and an 8-2 playoff run — and counting. Now they are headed to the East Finals for the third consecutive season and sixth time in eight years.
Here are five takeaways from Boston’s Game 5 performance that closed out the Cavs:
1. It took as long as it took
The math didn’t seem to add up. Subtract scorer Donovan Mitchell (strained calf) again from Cleveland’s lineup. Deduct sixth man Caris LeVert (bruised knee) this time too, on top of already ailing center Jarrett Allen (bruised ribs), who never appeared in the series.
What did that equal? It was nearly 39 minutes in which Boston only outscored the Cavaliers by three points. Followed by a flurry in the final 9:10 during which the home team beat them by 12.
The Celtics won the game. The Cavs were ennobled by it.
That’s how big the mismatch looked at tipoff. The “Inside the NBA” crew was snickering over it; Cleveland didn’t have enough and Boston seemingly had gotten its bad-habit lackadaisical game out of the way in Game 2.
But with 40 seconds left in the first half, Cleveland was down just 53-51. A run to start the final quarter whacked a 12-point gap to three. For the Celtics, it was as if someone had pranked them by tethering a rubber snake to their ankles — they couldn’t shake the Cavs and it was starting to spook them.
Then veterans Al Horford and Jrue Holiday cracked open what was left of the game. It wasn’t as if the Celtics didn’t know that circumstances such as these — a foe with sidelined starters — can result in trap games as often as easy-breezies.
“The rest of the guys have more freedom,” said Jayson Tatum, who had 25 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals for Boston. “They play with a different level of confidence and they play different. Our mindset coming into the game was, however long it takes is however long it takes.”
2. Saving the best for late
That applies not just to when Boston seized control of the game. It also relates to Horford’s performance in the 177th playoff game of his career. That includes 31 clinching games, in which Horford’s playoff teams — Atlanta, Boston or Philadelphia — either advanced or were eliminated.
His average stats line in those: 11.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 blocked shots.
His line in Game 5: 22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Add Horford’s 6-for-13 shooting on 3-pointers and he’s less than three weeks shy of his 38th birthday, and the 6-foot-9 center made history.
Al Horford becomes the oldest player in NBA history to record a 20+ PT, 10+ REB, 5+ 3PT, 5+ AST playoff game, passing LeBron James.#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/yEyGWqGn1e
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) May 16, 2024
The oldest Celtic took it upon himself to zap energy into their group.
“I felt like we lacked it in the first quarter,” Horford said. “When I came back in the second, I felt like we needed to step it up. We were talking about it in the huddle that we weren’t really getting it done. … I knew it was going to take a lot more than just playing a normal game.”
Horford’s hustle late in the first half and then his work in the fourth (when he grabbed nine rebounds to Cleveland’s three and matched the Cavs with two 3-pointers) made the difference. Defensively, he had much to do with bothering Cavs guard Darius Garland into his 4-for-17 shooting.
Horford’s father, Tito (an NBA alumnus), enjoyed it all sitting next to Celtics governor Wyc Grousbeck.
“Al’s not as vocal as he is inspirational,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “When he plays that way, it’s contagious.”
3. Mitchell may be done in Cleveland
If that was Donovan Mitchell’s final game with the Cavaliers, he went out with a relative whimper rather than a bang. Wearing a baseball cap, spectacles and hoodie, he looked more like Spike Lee on the sideline than the star who posted 29.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 4.7 apg in 10 playoff games this year.
The calf injury that kept him out of Games 4 and 5 could bring an anticlimactic end to Mitchell’s two seasons in Cleveland. He was an All-Star both times, but might choose not to sign an extension this summer, eyeing free agency in 2025. That could prompt management to trade him rather than lose him for nothing. Possible suitors — Lakers? Nets? Heat? — might give up more if they didn’t have to wait until the February trading deadline.
After the game, coach J.B. Bickerstaff did not address Mitchell’s future. He wondered how the Cavs might have done if the scoring guard, Garland and forward Evan Mobley, had played 60 games or more.
“I would love to see what we look like when we’re whole for an entire season, the kind of pressure we can put on the league,” Bickerstaff said.
Given Mitchell’s status, the pressure is now on the Cavs. And on Bickerstaff too, amid speculation about his job security.
Cavaliers facing tough decisions headed into the offseason.
4. Morris dusted off vintage night
Marcus Morris Jr., wherever he is, will have a hard time topping Marcus Morris Sr.’s work Wednesday. The much-traveled 34-year-old forward scored 25 points in reserve for Cleveland, seizing opportunity amid the injuries and outscoring Boston’s bench by himself.
Morris the elder, not to be confused with twin brother Markieff of Dallas, tied the second-highest point total of his career in his 76th playoff appearance. He spent time with four teams this season and played 129 games from 2017-19 for Boston, one of the eight franchises to have employed him.
5. Celtics eye their map to Finals
No conference finalist will get more rest between rounds. The extra time Boston earned for itself means additional rehab and preparation for center Kristaps Porzingis, who reportedly is progressing with his right soleus (calf) strain.
None of the Celtics are apologizing for a postseason that saw them fade Miami without Jimmy Butler, Cleveland with Mitchell and Allen out for part or all of the series, and either New York or Indiana at less than full strength.
The Knicks, up 3-2 in that series, are without Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic, while OG Anunoby is trying to return from a hamstring injury. Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder surgery) has been out since early March.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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