Celtics advance to the 2024 NBA Finals

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 26: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts against the New Orleans Pelicans during a game at the Smoothie King Center on January 26, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

On the same day notable Boston Celtics star Bill Walton of Le Mesa, California passed away at the age of 71 of cancer, the Boston Celtics are off to the 2024 NBA Finals. On Monday, the Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 105-102 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana to win the Eastern Conference Western Conference Finals four games to none.

The Celtics’s most memorable shot in the evening was a three-point jump shot from 23 feet by shooting guard Derrick White of Parker, Colorado. White broke a 102-102 tie, when he nailed the shot from the corner of the basketball court with 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Four Celtics reached double digits in scoring. Small forward Jaylen Brown of Marietta, Georgia led the way with 29 points. Power forward Jayson Tatum of St. Louis, Missouri had a double-double, as he had 26 points and 13 rebounds. Point guard Jrue Holiday of Chatsworth, California had 17 points, and White had 16 points.

The Celtics will now face the winner of the Western Conference Finals in the NBA Finals. Currently the Dallas Mavericks lead the Minnesota Timberwolves 3-0. Like the Celtics, the Mavericks have the opportunity to sweep their opponent. Game four of the Western Conference Final will take place on Tuesday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

The Mavericks are winning the series so far even though they are the lower seed. The Timberwolves had a regular season record of 56 wins and 26 losses, while the Mavericks were at 50 wins and 32 losses. One reason for Dallas’s success has been the play of their backcourt led by Kyrie Irving of Melbourne, Australia and Luka Doncic of Ljubljana, Slovenia. They have been so good, according to former NBA coach and current TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy, Irving and Doncic have created the “best backcourt in NBA history.” In game three, Irving and Doncic combined for 66 points in a 116-107 Mavericks win over Minnesota.

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