The Boston Celtics punched their ticket to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons Monday night when they earned a narrow 105-102 victory in Game 4 over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Celtics swept the best-of-seven series.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics won all four games against the Pacers, but it wasn’t exactly a cakewalk.
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Boston’s only double-digit win of the series came in Game 2 and to close out the Pacers, it came right down to the wire.
But yet again the Celtics showed that they were ready for the moment and executed their best on both ends of the floor in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Boston trailed by as many as eight points in the final frame of Game 4, but were undeterred as their co-stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who scored 26 points, led them back.
Brown and Tatum had help, too. Derrick White hit the biggest shot of the game and Jrue Holiday secured an offensive rebound with 4.1 seconds left to run out the clock.
It was only the second time the Celtics have swept their opponent in the Eastern Conference finals in franchise history. The only other time they did so came in 1986. That season ended with a championship, and the Celtics are just four wins away now from getting a title of their own.
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STARS OF THE GAME
— Brown turned it on in the second half for the Celtics. He tallied 19 of his game-high 29 points after halftime and finished 11-for-22 shooting from the field. Brown also had a massive block on Andrew Nembhard with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter to keep the score level.
— White delivered the game-deciding bucket as he drilled a 3-pointer from the corner with 43.9 seconds left. He finished with 16 points and was only 2-for-9 from 3-point range. White was also a defensive menace as he recorded five steals and three blocks.
— Nembhard did his part and then some to try to keep Indiana’s season alive. After a career-high 32 points in Game 3, Nembhard came right back with a double-double of 24 points and 10 assists to go along with six rebounds.
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UP NEXT
The Celtics have nine days off before opening up the NBA Finals on June 6 against the winner of the Dallas Mavericks-Minnesota Timberwolves series. Tipoff of Game 1 from TD Garden is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Featured image via Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports Images
