After LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Western Conference at the end of the 2017-2018 season, the Boston Celtics took over as the reigning Eastern Conference champions.

After a dominant season with a 64-18 record and a .780 winning percentage, the Celtics are back in the Eastern Conference Finals 카지노 for another shot at the championship.

The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive season with a 113-98, 15-point victory over the Cavaliers in Game 5 of the best-of-seven 2023-2024 National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference Playoffs (PO) semifinals at TD Garden in Boston on Saturday to take a 4-1 series lead. Boston will play the winner of the New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers series for a spot in the championship game. The Knicks currently lead the series 3-2.

The game was tight until the middle of the second quarter, when Derrick White, Al Horford, and Jayson Tatum caught fire late in the second quarter, scoring 10 straight points to give Boston the lead.

Leading 58-52 at halftime, the Celtics opened the third quarter with Tatum on fire, but the Cavaliers, led by Evan Mobley, fought back to take a seven-point lead, 85-78, at the end of the third quarter. The Warriors were down by as many as three points early in the fourth quarter, but the outside shooting exploded to pull away again and put the game out of reach.

Tatum finished with a near triple-double on the night with 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Veteran Al Horford backed him up with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, were without ace Donovan Mitchell due to injury and were led by Mobley with 33 points and senior Marcus Morris with 25 points.

Boston’s goal is not to win the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have reached the Eastern Conference Finals six times in the last eight seasons, from 2016-17 to this season, but have only reached the championship game once before, in 2021-22. Even then, they lost the title to the Golden State Warriors. After one of the most dominant seasons in both conferences this season, Boston’s eyes are already on the championship game.