Celtics Advance to Eastern Conference Finals Behind Big Time Performances From Al Horford and Company
The Celtics have what some people would call a “cakewalk” through the Eastern Conference Playoffs to this point. Now, it is not their fault that their opponents are not fully healthy, it would benefit playing a fully loaded roster to prepare for close-game situations. In Game Five, the Cavaliers were missing Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell, and Caris LeVert. The Celtics struggle with playing above the level of their opponents from time to time, but it wasn’t the deciding factor in this series. The Eastern Conference Finals have become the home of the Celtics and they will await the winner of the Knicks vs Pacers.
It was a very slow offensive start for both teams in the opening quarter. The Cavs were playing with some obvious added motivation as they were missing three key players. Their defense was able to shut down the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday, who each dominated Games Three and Four. However, they could not stop the exceptional play of Derrick White. The starting guard for the Celtics almost scored half of his team’s total first quarter points. Yet missing important pieces to the team, the Cavs managed to find scoring from the unlikeliest of sources and keep it close. At the end of the first quarter, it was all tied up at 28 a piece.
After a rather tranquil beginning to the game, the pace of play began to pick up. The pesty defense of the Cavs really began to frustrate the entire arena, fans were not as loud as usual. This combined with the lack of defensive urgency from the Celtics allowed the Cavaliers to become competitive throughout the first half. Including an 18-6 run, the Cavs had taken the lead with under six minutes remaining in the half. Marcus Morris was playing the best basketball of his career, scoring 15 points in the first half while he has only scored seven points in three games against the Celtics.
The momentum began to flip when Isaac Okoro, Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, picked up his third foul. Al Horford, turning 38 in June, was a difference maker in the final minutes of the half. Even being undersized, his defense and ability to block shots was huge down the stretch. He also knocked down three first half three-pointers, an added value that was much needed without having Kristaps Porzingis. To end the half, Tatum hit a step-back three to increase the lead to seven before he was given a technical foul by Tony Brothers for arguing that he was fouled while shooting. It was an obvious foul and then Brothers compounded on his mistake with giving Tatum a technical, a poor showing of officiating. Besides that, it was almost a flawless final five minutes of the half for the Celtics which allowed them to take the lead into the break.
After the Cavs opened on a 6-0 run, to begin the third quarter the Celtics responded with a 8-0 run of their own. The combination of Tatum and Horford was the duo to showcase tonight, not the usual duo of Tatum and Brown. With the upgraded offensive, the defensive urgency increased as well. This is what defines the Celtics and the first half was not an accurate representation of how great this Celtics squad is. While the rest of his squad couldn’t get going, Evan Mobley was feasting against his matchup. He and Morris were the only reasons that the Cavs managed to stay within single digits. Mobley matched his playoff career high, 21 points, by the end of the quarter. Marcus Morris also surpassed his season high in points with 20 points. I couldn’t believe my eyes how well he was playing.
The final quarter of Game Five was very much back and forth. The duo of Mobley and Morris were keeping the Cavs afloat as the Celtics could not hinder them from scoring. Given that Morris is averaging 4.3 points in his last 10 games, it was truly unbelievable how well he was shooting. As soon as Derrick White checked back into the game, the tide shifted back into the Celtics favor. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, he is the ultimate glue guy. His presence on the floor makes everyone play better. Al Horford was easily the player of the game. His final stats read 22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. He is now the oldest player in NBA history to score 15+ points, five 3s, and 10+ rebounds. Jayson Tatum’s incredible performance can’t go uncredited either. He scored 25 points, gathered 10 rebounds and nine assists. In the end, the Celtics were too big and too powerful in their 113-98 victory.
