Celtics-Cavs takeaways: Horford wills C’s to East Finals berth originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON — For the sixth time in eight years, the Boston Celtics are heading to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The C’s finished off the Cleveland Cavaliers with a hard-fought Game 5 victory Wednesday night at TD Garden. The undermanned Cavs kept it close throughout the first three frames but Boston finished strong and ran away with a 113-98 triumph.
All five Celtics starters scored in double figures with Jayson Tatum (25 points) and Al Horford (22 points) leading the charge. For Cleveland, Evan Mobley (33 points) and ex-Celtic Marcus Morris (25 points) stepped up with Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, and Jarrett Allen sidelined. That’s Morris’ highest scoring total since March 13, 2022.
Boston awaits the New York Knicks or the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks have a 3-2 series lead heading into Friday’s Game 6 in Indiana.
Before we look ahead to the next round, here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s series-clincher vs. Cleveland.
Historic night for Al Horford
Veteran big man Al Horford entered Game 5 struggling as the Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis replacement in the starting lineup. The 37-year-old missed his last 11 3-point attempts heading into the matchup.
Horford quickly snapped that streak early in the first quarter, and that set the tone for the rest of Wednesday’s game. He finished the first half with nine points (3-8 3-PT), three rebounds, and three blocks.
One key contribution you won’t find on the box score was Horford’s energy. It was a quiet crowd at TD Garden until Horford fired C’s fans up with multiple hustle plays in the second quarter. First, he followed a 3-point make with a forced turnover on the other end of the floor. Shortly afterward, he jumped into the C’s bench while chasing down a loose ball and threw it off the Cavs.
Horford received a standing ovation when he checked out in the third quarter, but he wasn’t done.
After a rocky start to the fourth (two turnovers), Horford found his groove again with his fifth 3 of the night followed by another make on the next…
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