On May 16, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs division semifinals continued, and the Celtics hosted the Cavaliers. In this series, the Celtics won the match point with a score of 3-1, and according to the modeling calculations of the American media "BR", the probability of the Celtics advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals reached 98.2%, and there was actually no suspense. Cavaliers coach Bickerstaff said before the game that when the Rockets were an assistant coach to McHale, the team fell behind the Clippers 1-3 and finally turned the tables, and he believes that the Cavaliers also have this ability! But action doesn't lie, Mitchell continues to miss due to a calf strain, center Allen's rib injury is basically announced to be reimbursed for the season, and the team's sixth man LeVert also suffered a knee injury, these three core players are unable to play, and the Cavaliers' change of direction is equivalent to letting go of this game and is ready to end the season!
On the Celtics side, from eliminating the Heat in the first round to facing the Cavaliers in the second round to get the match point, they didn't encounter much pressure, the only shortcoming is Tatum's playoff efficiency, averaging 24.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, but the two shooting rates are as low as 42%+26%, Tatum's effective shooting rate is 46.3%, and among the 115 people included in the statistics in the league, ranked 102nd, how can this still be like a supergiant? People like Jokic, Edwards, Brunson and others have been upgraded in the playoffs, and Tatum has continued to downshift, and the closer he gets to the high-end of the playoffs, Tatum is getting weaker and weaker. However, Brown is only one win away from the sixth Eastern Conference final in eight years of his career, and Tatum is only one last victory away from the fifth Eastern Conference final in seven years of his career, testing their stage in the Eastern Conference finals and the finals.
Cavaliers starters: Garland + Strus + Okro + Wade + Mobley Jr.; Celtics starters: Holiday + White + Jaylen Brown + Tatum + Horford. After the opening, Strus fired on the outside, Brown and White responded with a three-point rain, White and Horford blossomed inside and out, Tatum ignored Wade and broke through the smash directly! The veteran Xiao Mo was ruthless in the face of the Celtics, and continued to attack successfully, Tatum and Wade hit three points in the second half, and Xiao Mo stopped the Celtics with three points! At the end of the quarter, Pritchard stopped the bleeding with three points, and the two teams tied the game at 28 in the first quarter. At the beginning of the second quarter, Pritchard and Hauser rained three-pointers, but the Cavaliers responded with three three-pointers off the bench, and Mobley and Garland led the team to overtake the Green Army for a while! In the middle section, Xiao Mo blossomed inside and out, and the Cavaliers had a maximum lead of 6 points.
At the critical moment, it was Horford's three-point shot to stop the bleeding, and White's military training Garland tried and tested, and he fired from the outside with Horford, and finally overtook the score. At the end of the quarter, Tatum hit a three-pointer with a quick dunk + a whistle, but he also got a technical foul, and the Celtics led the Cavaliers 58-52 at halftime. White had 15 points and 5 assists in the half, Tatum had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Mo Jr. scored 14 points on the Cavaliers' side. At the beginning of the second half, Strus and Mobley continued to chase points, Horford responded with an easy layup, Tatum shook Wade for a layup, Horford also continued to score three points, and the Celtics played a wave of 11-0 climax. In the middle section, the double tanhua took turns to kill, and when Mobley led the team to chase the score again, Tatum trained Mobley + Garland, and Morris Jr. stopped the bleeding with three points at the end of the quarter! At the end of the third quarter, the Celtics led the Cavaliers 85-79.
In the fourth quarter of the decisive battle, Mobley and Morris continued to help the Cavaliers score, Holiday responded with 4 points in a row, and then the Cavaliers offense was dumb, White's three points + Horford's three points and empty cut cake + Tatum's three-point shot, a wave opened a 14-point difference. Morris Jr. hit a three-pointer to maintain a trace of suspense, but Holiday 's three-pointer + empty basket cake widened the gap again and sealed the win. In the end, the Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 113-98 at home, and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals with a score of 4-1! This is also the fourth time in five years that the Celtics have reached the Eastern Conference Finals!
According to Celtics statistics, Tatum had 25 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals, Brown had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists, and Horford had 22 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks, with a game-high 26 points; White had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, Holiday had 13 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, and Pritchard had 11 points. Cavaliers statistics, Morris Jr. 25 points and 3 rebounds, Mobley Jr. 33 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, Strus 12 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, Garland 11 points and 9 assists, Merrill 9 points.
First of all, congratulations to the Celtics, who have once again reached the Eastern Conference finals. From the beginning of this season to the Eastern Conference Finals, this is within the lower limit of the team's strength, and there is no need for Shuangtanhua to play more consistently, even if Boshen is not there, there are three veterans of White + Holiday + Horford to help and contribute energy. The Cavaliers are definitely respectful of the lack of so many players and holding on until the last minute, and the next test for the Celtics may be no longer a team in the East that can stop them, but the potential rivals in the West, the defending champion Nuggets, are a big mountain. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing to accept the real test until the finals, because there is no room for error, and it directly tests the ability of Shuangtanhua to solve the game.