BOSTON (AP) With 2.4 seconds left and the Boston Celtics leading by one, Marcus Smart had a chance to all but clinch Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and eliminate Philadelphia by making a pair of free throws.
He missed the first.
He could have made things more difficult for the 76ers by missing the second one on purpose, and forcing them to go the length of the court with the clock running. He chucked it against the rim; it went in.
That gave the 76ers a chance to win with a desperation 3-pointer. The full-court inbounds pass went into the left corner, and who was there to intercept it, heaving it back into the air to run out the clock?
To the surprise of no one in a Celtics uniform, it was Smart.
»That’s a Marcus Smart sequence. That just describes him so well,» guard Jaylen Brown said after Boston beat Philadelphia 114-112 on Wednesday night to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year. »If it came down to one guy coming up with it, everybody’s got their money on Smart.»
Jayson Tatum scored 25 points, Brown had 24 and Terry Rozier scored 17, sinking a pair of free throws to make it a four-point game with 9.8 seconds left after forcing Joel Embiid’s turnover. Al Horford added 15 points and eight rebounds for Boston.
The Celtics will play Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year. Game 1 is Sunday in Boston. It’s the Celtics’ first back-to-back trips to the conference finals since making it five straight times in the original Big Three era from 1984-88.
nba.com
Dramatico final en Boston, pues con 2.4 segundos por jugar Celtics estaban al frente por uno, y Marcus Smart tuvo la posibilidad de asegurar la serie con un par de tiros libres, pero fallo.
Eso lo hace mas difícil para los 76ers, que con el reloj en contra tenían la necesidad de un triple para seguir con vida, desde la esquina izquierda la posibilidad que fue interceptada por los aires con el sonido del reloj determinando el final…Boston se imponía 114-112 para avanzar a la Final de la Conferencia del Este, por segundo año consecutivo.
Jayson Tatum anoto 25 puntos, Brown 24 y Terry Rozier 17, el dominicano Al Horford, otros 15 y 8 rebotes para boston.
Los Celtics enfrentaran por el el titulo del este a los Cavaliers de Cleveland por segunda temporada consecutiva, comenzando el domingo en Boston. se trata del primer viaje consecutivo para Boston a estas instancias desde la temporada 1984/88.