With 25 points from Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were dealing with injuries, 113–198 on Wednesday to wrap off a 4-1 series win and secure their spot in the Eastern Conference finals for the third consecutive season. 

A tough Cleveland squad pushed the top-seeded Celtics all the way to the NBA Finals, where they will take on either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks.

Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert, three of the Cavaliers’ starting six players, were confirmed to be sidelined with injuries earlier on Wednesday, shattering the team’s chances of making a run at the best-of-seven series.

However, Cleveland overcame that disappointment to mount a valiant comeback that saw them close the gap on the Celtics to three points halfway through the fourth quarter.

For Cleveland, Evan Mobley was outstanding, scoring a game-high 33 points, and Marcus Morris Sr. chipped in with 25 points off the bench.

But just when TD Garden spectatоrs fоr the Celtics were beginning tо wоrry that a shоcking lоss might be imminent, Bоstоn put tоgether a cоmmanding 13-2 run, highlighted by a three-pоinter by Tatum, tо take a 14-pоint lead at 101-87.

Tatum, who also contributed nine assists and ten rebounds, claimed that despite Cleveland’s injured starting lineup, Boston was ready for a dogfight.

“Anybody who’s played in this league understands what happens when somebody’s best players are out,” Tatum stated. “The guys with more freedom are the others. They play differently and with varying degrees of confidence.

“We approached this game with the mentality, ‘However long it takes, that’s how long it takes.'” We weren’t expecting to win in the opening or second quarters of the match. We worked things out via grinding.”

Tatum stated that Boston was now focused on ending their miserable recent record in the Eastern Conference championship game. Since the 2016–2017 campaign, Boston has made five trips to the Eastern Conference finals, losing four of those times.

Tatum stated, “New challenges arise every year.” “Myself and the other team members have attended the conference finals four or five times total. We have been in combat. We are aware of the requirements. All we need to do is set aside our personal grievances and work toward overcoming this obstacle.”

On Wednesday, Tatum was one of six Boston players to finish in double digits. Derrick White finished with eighteen points, and Al Horford added twenty-two.

Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard each got 11 points at the end, while Jrue Holiday finished with 13.