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Celtics Victorious Over Rival Cavaliers, Advance to NBA Finals

Boston's Defense Stifles Cleveland's Offense, Securing Game 7 Victory

Jayson Tatum Leads Celtics with 26 Points, 10 Rebounds

The Boston Celtics have defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 100-96 in a thrilling Game 7 showdown to advance to the NBA Finals. The victory marks the Celtics' first trip to the Finals since 2010.

Boston's defense was the key to their victory, holding the Cavaliers to just 36.7% shooting from the field and 25% from three-point range. Cleveland's star player, Donovan Mitchell, was held to just 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 26 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Jaylen Brown with 24 points and Marcus Smart with 23 points. Cleveland's Darius Garland finished with 22 points and Jarrett Allen added 20 points and 12 rebounds.

The Celtics will now face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, which begin on Thursday night in San Francisco. The Warriors are seeking to win their seventh NBA championship in the past eleven years, while the Celtics are looking for their first title since 2008.

Key Plays

Fourth Quarter, 4:42 Remaining: Tatum drives to the basket and draws a foul on Allen. Tatum makes both free throws to give the Celtics a 96-91 lead.
Fourth Quarter, 3:04 Remaining: Brown steals the ball from Mitchell and scores a layup to put the Celtics up 98-91.
Fourth Quarter, 1:22 Remaining: Mitchell hits a three-pointer to cut the Celtics' lead to 98-96, but Smart answers with a two-pointer to seal the victory.

Expert Analysis

"The Celtics' defense was phenomenal tonight," said ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy. "They made it very difficult for the Cavaliers to get into any kind of rhythm offensively. Tatum and Brown were also huge for them, especially down the stretch."

"The Cavaliers fought hard, but they just couldn't overcome the Celtics' defense," said NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. "The Celtics are a very tough team to beat, and they're going to be a tough opponent for the Warriors in the Finals."