The Boston Celtics were given a golden opportunity in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After receiving all they could handle in the first three games, injuries mounted for Cleveland, and Boston took full advantage.
In addition to Jarrett Allen sitting out the entire series, the Cavaliers were also without their All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell for two games. His replacement, Caris LeVert was sidelined for Game 5, leaving the team short-handed.
The game ended up being more competitive than most people would have guessed, but the outcome remained the same. The Boston Celtics came away victorious, winning 113-98 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Early in the fourth quarter, the game was still hanging in the balance. The short-handed Cavaliers received an incredible performance from veteran Marcus Morris Sr. off the bench, who scored 25 points with three rebounds.
Leading the way in the starting lineup was Evan Mobley, who came alive without Allen in the lineup. He scored a game-high 33 points with seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks.
Alas, it wasn’t enough to defeat the Boston Celtics, who are on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight year and sixth time in the last eight. Jayson Tatum led the way for them, scoring 25 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists.
“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.”
The Boston Celtics will now wait to see who their next opponent will be. The New York Knicks are leading the Indiana Pacers 3-2 in the other semifinal series, with Game 6 set to be played in Indiana on Friday night. The Eastern Conference Finals will then start either on Sunday afternoon or Tuesday night in Boston, depending on when the other series finishes up.
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