At 07:00 on May 16, Beijing time, the Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 113-98 at home, swept the Cavaliers with a big score of 4-1, and then entered the Eastern Conference finals, Tatum had 25 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, and Horford had 22 points and 15 boards; White 18 points; Brown had 11 points and seven assists. On the Cavaliers' side, Mitchell was absent, Mobley scored 33 points and Garland had 11 points and nine assists. There is no suspense in this round of the series, and the game process is not much repeated, and the difference in strength is huge.
Let's take a look at the Celtics' playoff performances in the past 8 years:
Since the 2016-2017 season, 8 seasons, 6 times to the Eastern Conference Finals, 1 time to the Finals, 0 times to win the championship
16-17, 17-18: Lost to the Cavaliers in both Eastern Conference finals, and the Eastern East, ruled by James, was powerless
In the 2019 playoffs, he lost to the Bucks in the second round and just won the MVP
In the 2020 playoffs, the East finals lost to the Heat led by Butler, and the seeds of grievances were planted.
In the 2021 playoffs, the Nets, led by Durant, Irving, and Harden, were swept in the first round.
In the 2022 playoffs, the Celtics took revenge on the Heat and advanced to the Finals
In the 2023 playoffs, the Heat took revenge on the Celtics, the Heat led 3-0 and was chased to 3-3, and finally won the Celtics with difficulty through the tie-breaker.
In the 2024 playoffs, the Celtics made a comeback and took revenge on the Heat again in the first round, and the Heat lacked a major general this season and was finally swept by the gentlemen. In the second round, the gentleman swept the Cavaliers without any pressure. This year is perhaps the most promising year for the Celtics, with neither the Pacers nor the Knicks being opponents and having no problem making it out of the East. The window to win the championship has opened, and it depends on whether the Green Army can grasp it.