Boston Celtics survive Raptors best, advance to East Finals, Heat

The Boston Celtics survived a furious assault by the defending champs, the Toronto Raptors falling to the Celtics 92-87.

We all knew this series would go seven games, deep inside.

The question ahead of the Game 7 Eastern Conference Finals showdown between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors was simply which one of the two behemoths will advance to the Conference Finals vs. the Miami Heat.

Boston won the tip, but Toronto scored first, a Kyle Lowry 3 getting the contest started. Jayson Tatum got the Celtics on the board off an assist by Kemba Walker. The two teams traded buckets early, Boston taking its first lead off of a Marcus Smart make at 6-5.

A layup from Robert Williams III and a trey from Tatum gave the Celtics a four-point cushion, forcing a Raptors timeout. Boston came out of the timeout hot, Smart hitting a 3, followed by a make by Brown to give the Celtics a nine-point lead.

Another trey from Smart threatened to break the game wide open, but Fred Van Vleet answered back with one of his own. The Raptors chipped away at the lead with a bucket from Serge Ibaka and a dunk from Norman Powell, OG Anunoby completing a 9-2 run to force a Celtics timeout.

A pair of 3s from Matt Thomas and Ibaka wrested back the lead from Boston as the two teams would go back to trading makes, with Semi Ojeleye nailing a 3 for the Celtics to close out the first quarter trailing 27-27.

Boston began the second frame with Brown scoring off a Walker assist, Pascal Siakam returning the favor on the next possession. Ibaka gave the Raptors a 33-29 lead with a flush at the 9:30 mark, and a Van Vleet make would push the lead to six.

Brown stopped the bleeding, and Time Lord slammed home a dunk to cut the lead to four, but Walker would foul Ibaka on a 3, the big man converting them all to give Toronto a 40-33 lead. A Tatum dunk and a Smart make cut the lead to three, then take a 41-40 lead with 3:30 left in the half.

Another trey from Brown gave Boston breathing room, and Walker heating up pushed the lead to six. The Raptors didn’t let up however, Marc Gasol getting to the line and Van Vleet scoring on the last possession of the half to go into the break the Celtics up 50-46.

The penultimate quarter started with a filthy Tatum stepback and a make by Brown to push the lead to nine. Toronto would cut it back to four off a Lowry and-1, but Tatum answered back with another 3, and Theis pushed it right back to 60-51.

A trip to the line for Anunoby to three, and an Ibaka layup to one, both teams exchanging blows like a scene out of Rocky. A Smart three-point play gave Boston a small cushion, but a Van Vleet 3 would give the Raptors a 68-67 lead with 1:45 to play.

Walker would steal the lead right back on the next play, and Powell and Tatum hit back-to-back 3-pointers to send the Celtics into the final frame up just one point at 72-71.

The Celtics began the final frame with a 3 from Walker and a layup from Theis to put Boston up six. Tatum would complete a 7-0 run after a steal by Theis. A scary slip for Brown put every Celtics fan’s heart in their throat, but he emerged seemingly okay.

Van Vleet would cut the lead to five with a 3, and Walker would push it to 84-78 with six minutes to play on a 3-point play, forcing a timeout. A Tatum two out of the timeout pushed the lead back to nine. Siakam would cut the lead to six with just under four to go, but Smart got himself to the line, converting one.

Lowry scored with two to play to cut it four with two left in the game, then got himself to the line a few plays later to cut the lead to 89-87 with a minute to play. The Raptors guard would foul Grant Williams, burning a challenge on the call, which would stand.

Williams missed them both, but Tatum would be fouled going after a loose ball, converting one. Walker would be fouled next, converting both for the 92-87 win, Boston advancing to the eastern Conference Finals to face the Miami Heat.

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