The Boston Celtics erased a multi-possession deficit in the clutch for the third time in four contests to sweep the Indiana Pacers with a 105-102 road win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday.
Boston will take on the winner of the Dallas Mavericks-Minnesota Timberwolves duel in the NBA Finals. Dallas holds a 3-0 advantage over Minnesota. The series will begin on June 6.
The Pacers were up 98-90 with just under six minutes to play before the Celtics finished the game on a 15-4 run capped by a 3-pointer by Derrick White in the final minute to break a 102-102 tie. Indiana didn’t score in the final 3:32 of the contest.
Boston won Game 1 in overtime after a miraculous 3-ball by Jaylen Brown forced the extra frame and took home Game 3 thanks to an 18-point comeback.
Brown and co-star Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics on Monday, scoring 29 and 26 points, respectively. White added a gaudy stat line of 16 points, four assists, four rebounds, five steals, and three blocks.
After his clutch play and big performance, Brown was handed the Larry Bird Trophy as the East finals MVP.
White gave Brown his flowers after the contest, crediting him for his game-winner and calling his award-winning teammate “unreal this whole series on both sides of the ball,” according to The Athletic’s Jay King.
Andrew Nembhard again paced the Pacers with backcourt mate Tyrese Haliburton out with a hamstring injury, contributing 24 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists.
“Boston has a great team,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, including the Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak. “They led the league from wire to wire. They really ran away with it. Give them credit for the stuff they pulled off in the last two games.”
The Celtics are headed to the Finals for the second time in three years. They lost the 2022 championship series to the Golden State Warriors.
