Final: Celtics 113, Cavs 98 - Horford explodes from 3, C's advance to ECF

BOSTON CELTICS at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 5

Boston leads 3-1

TD Garden, 7 p.m. - TNT

Line: Boston -15.5

INJURIES

Boston: Kristaps Porzingis (OUT, calf)

Cleveland: Donovan Mitchell (OUT, calf), Jarrett Allen (OUT, ribs), Caris LeVert (OUT, knee), Ty Jerome (OUT, ankle), Craig Porter (OUT, ankle)

Series: 

Game 1: Celtics 120, Cavs 95

Jaylen Brown got going early to pace a hot C’s start, but Isaac Okoro hit a couple of 3-pointers and Donovan Mitchell nearly matched Brown to keep Cleveland within six after one. That lead grew to 10 at the half despite Jayson Tatum having a tough offensive half and Boston shooting 6-22 from 3. The third was a duel between Mitchell and Derrick White, but a late Payton Pritchard buzzer-beater made it a 15-point game heading into the fourth. The Cavs rested Mitchell to start the quarter and Boston went on a 10-2 run to grab their first 20-point lead and run away with the game.

Game 2: Cavs 118, Celtics 94

The game started very similarly to Game 1 with Boston starting strong and Cleveland answering the run. But instead of Boston firing back, the Cleveland run rolled all the way to the break, giving them a six-point lead after one. The Celtics returned the favor to tie it up at the half, but poor finishing at the rim prevented them from taking a lead. Their defense took the third quarter off, Donovan Mitchell scored 16, and Boston went into the fourth quarter down 12. It only got worse from there, as the shooting stayed cold, the defense stayed loose, and the Cavs pulled away for a blowout win. 

Game 3: Celtics 106, Cavs 93

Jayson Tatum came out aggressive in the first quarter, scoring 12 points to out-duel Donovan Mitchell and give Boston a two-point lead after one. That lead grew to nine at the half, powered by a perfect 4-4 quarter by Jaylen Brown and 15 first-half points by Jrue Holiday. Boston opened the third on a 14-0 run and got 15 combined from Tatum and Brown to build their lead to 15 after three. The Cavs opened the fourth on a run, but Boston answered and executed down the stretch to hold the Cavs off, never letting the lead get below nine. 

Game 4: Celtics 109, Cavs 102

The Cavs started on an 8-2 run but Boston answered in a big way to take an 11-point lead. The Cavs cut it to seven by the end of the quarter thanks to 6-9 shooting from 3. The hot shooting stretched into the second, but despite hitting four more 3-pointers and getting 16 points off Celtics turnovers, Boston still led by five. Another 8-2 run game Cleveland a lead, but Boston again answered. They protected the ball, the Cavs went cold, and the led grew to 10. It got up to 15 midway through the fourth, but the Cavs came back and got it down to five a couple of times, but that's as close as it got.

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Focus: Donovan Mitchell isn’t “officially” out yet, but Shams Charania reports he’s out. I’m betting the other Cavs are out, too, because I think people understand what’s going on here … and maybe the rest of the guys will play so hard the Celtics will have a tough time keeping up again. 

So the first, and really only, key to the game is to stay focused and play Celtics basketball. The last thing anyone wants to see is another lackluster start and tight late-game situation. 

2. Protect the ball: Cleveland’s best chance is to force a ton of turnovers, get into transition, and hunt those trailing 3-pointers that are so hard to guard. Boston has typically been a pretty strong team with the ball, so the Game 4 turnovers were very uncharacteristic -- and the biggest sign early on that they were not their most focused selves. 

This ties into the first point. Staying focused means protecting the ball and, as Joe Mazzulla said after Game 4, passing it to the guys in the green jerseys. Just doing that will make this a much different game. 

3. Rebound: Limit the Cavs to one shot and win the damn field goal attempts battle for once. Go look at the box score for the Knicks-Pacers game last night for a prime example of what can happen when the percentages are equal (and the 3-point percentage in the losing team’s favor) but one team has significantly more shot attempts. 

Take care of business, rest up, and the Knicks and Pacers run themselves into the ground. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.