Play had halted, and the Celtics were certain to win. Horford turned toward the sideline, took a few steps, stopped, and raised his hands in the air, igniting the already boisterous TD Garden crowd.

The assignment was completed.

Boston defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 on Wednesday night, led by Jayson Tatum’s 25 points and 10 rebounds, to make the Eastern Conference finals for the third consecutive year.

Horford helped the Celtics win their third straight game and complete the series in five games with 22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and six of Boston’s 19 3-pointers.

“I knew it was going to take a lot more than handling it normally, and we had a great opportunity to handle this at home.” stated Horford, who became the first player in NBA history to post a 20-point, 15-rebound, five-assist playoff game at the age of 37, along with LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It’s unique. It is a difficult task to complete. This is yet another step in the right direction toward our goal.

The winner of the game between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks will now be anticipated by the Celtics. In that series, New York is up 3-2.

This will be Tatum’s fifth trip to the conference finals and Jaylen Brown’s sixth. According to Tatum, it demonstrates how solid the team culture is.

It merely demonstrates the organization’s and the team’s character. People would assume that our presence here is inevitable, Tatum added. “Everyone is involved in this jointly. We’re operating correctly.

Without All-Star Donovan Mitchell (calf), center Jarrett Allen (ribs), and important reserve Caris LeVert (knee), the Cavaliers were severely shorthanded during the game.

After maintaining a tight lead for the first three quarters, Cleveland closed the gap early in the fourth quarter, 88-85. With 6:44 remaining, Boston embarked on a 13-2 run to grab a 101-87 lead.

Evan Mobley collected seven rebounds and a playoff career-high 33 points. Marcus Morris Sr. ended with 25 points and five 3-pointers.

J.B. Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers’ coach, praised the team’s effort. For many different reasons, this year has been challenging for us. They never had the opportunity to give up on one another. They only looked for methods to compete.

With the futures of Mitchell and Bickerstaff firmly in the public eye, Cleveland is about to embark on a summer of uncertainty.

In his second playoffs with the Cavaliers, Mitchell gave the team everything he had. Despite not playing in the final two games, he averaged 29.6 points per game.

The TD Garden, where James played his final game with the Cavaliers before departing for Miami in 2010, may host Mitchell’s farewell game in Cleveland.

Although Mitchell has the option to sign a contract extension, he hasn’t indicated that he wants to leave Cleveland or stay.

As Cleveland’s coach, Bickerstaff is wrapping up his fourth full season in the role. In the 11 games that he coached following his replacement of John Beilein in the 2019–20 campaign, Bickerstaff is 170-159 with two postseason berths.

When asked if he believed he would be coaching in Cleveland the following season, Bickerstaff responded, “I haven’t been told I’m not. I will therefore continue to turn up until they tell me not to.

The Cavs used the 3-point line to keep up with the Celtics, making 8 of 19 in the first 24 minutes, much like they did in Game 4 without Mitchell.

Cleveland led 46–40 at the beginning of the second quarter after making 4 of 5 shots from outside the arc. Morris, who scored 14 points in his first 12 minutes of play, also provided the Cavaliers with valuable minutes off the bench.

However, Boston came back and led 58-52 at the half after an 18-6 surge in the closing minutes.

Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics coach, remarked, “It made us answer the bell.” “Watch out for your yard. The men succeeded. They deserve credit for that.

Horford expressed his pride in Tatum and Brown’s development after their team’s loss to Miami in the conference finals the previous season.

“I’m really proud of our boys for their continued hard work. JT and JB, and how they have improved even more. How they receive criticism regardless of what is thrown at them,” Horford remarked. “Our guys keep working and thinking about what’s best for our group.”