basketball
Celtics are in the NBA Finals after victory over Pacers
Scored 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists against the Indiana Pacers: Boston’s Jayson Tatum. Photo
© Michael Conroy/AP
The Boston Celtics eliminated the Indiana Pacers in the NBA semifinals without losing a game and are in the final series. There, the 17-time champions will face Dallas or Minnesota.
The Boston Celtics have put in a convincing performance NBA Finals. The 17-time champions also won the fourth game of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers 105-102 (58-57) on Monday (local time) and won the best-of-seven series with 4-0 victories.
For the first time since 2015, a team won the East Finals without losing, with a so-called “sweep.” The Celtics are in the final series of the North American basketball league for the second time in the past three years. In 2022, they had to admit defeat to the Golden State Warriors.
The Celtics were down nine points with just under nine minutes to go, but turned the game around thanks to a 7-0 spurt in the final three minutes. With 45 seconds left, Boston’s Derrick White hit the decisive three-pointer to give the game the final score.
Celtics in the finals now against Dallas or Minnesota
“They fought until the last minute and didn’t want to give up. But in the end we found a way to win: with important actions in defense and rebounds, our players made the shots at the right time,” said Jayson Tatum about the victory.
Tatum was a guarantee of success with 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. The Celtics’ best scorer was Jaylen Brown with 29 points. He was named the series’ most valuable player. The Pacers were again without their injured playmaker Tyrese Haliburton and were led by Andrew Nembhard (24 points, ten assists).
In the NBA finals, the Celtics will face the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves. In the Western Conference finals, the Mavericks are leading 3-0 and need one more win to advance. The first game of the final series will take place on June 6 (local time) in Boston.