Cavs face Celts in East finals
Boston trashes the process, seals East finals duel vs Cleveland
BOSTON— Rookie Jason Tatum scored the goahead basket on Wednesday as Boston clipped Philadelphia, 114-112, to make the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals opposite Cleveland. This is the first time since 1987 and 1988 that Boston is in the conference finals for two successive seasons. The Celtics wrapped up their bestof-seven series against the Sixers, 4-1.
BOSTON— Jayson Tatum’s go-ahead basket with 22.5 seconds left sent the Boston Celtics back to the Eastern Conference finals with a 114-112 win against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of their secondround playoff series Wednesday night. Tatum had a team-high 25 points, Jaylen Brown scored 24, Terry Rozier added 17 and Al Horford scored 15 for the Celtics, who took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series before losing, 103-92, in Philadelphia on Monday. Boston will face the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals for a second consecutive season. The Celtics are in the East finals in consecutive years for the first time since 1986-87 and 1987-88. The Cavs, who advanced this week by sweeping the Toronto Raptors, eliminated the Celtics in a five-game series last May.
“I feel like we are more together (than last year),” Rozier said. “Obviously, guys been going down all year, and it’s like you never know who’s going to go down. But we found a way, we pulled together. I’m not saying if we’re better or not, but we’re definitely going back to the Eastern Conference finals, so that’s a blessing.”
Celtics coach Brad Stevens, referring to the team’s success without injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, “Things haven’t always gone our way, but they’re talented. They’re tough. They fit Boston.”
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals is Sunday in Boston.
Philadelphia, which snapped a five-year playoff drought while playing under the battlecry “Trust the process,” was denied its first trip to the conference finals since going to the NBA Finals in the 2000-01 season.
Things haven’t always gone our way, but they’re talented. They’re tough BRAD STEVENS Boston coach