The Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 in Game 5 of their NBA Playoffs series on Wednesday night, sweeping the Eastern Conference semifinals 4–1 and moving to the Eastern Conference finals.
Despite the advancement, TNT NBA commentator Charles Barkley isn’t satisfied with the Celtics’ performance:
"They're the worst offense I've seen for grown folks. It's like they just give the ball to one guy and go 1-on-1… The way they play offense right now, they can't win a championship like that."
Charles Barkley is not too fond of the Celtics' offense 😅pic.twitter.com/CzZA7nerHz
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 16, 2024
Barkley said of the Celtics, “They’re the worst offense I’ve seen for grown people.” It’s like they just hand the ball to one person and play 1-on-1… “They can’t win a championship with the way they play offense right now.”
While 113 points is not a bad total, the Celtics have struggled to get going in the playoffs in recent years. While Boston has two outstanding one-on-one players in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the offense can stagnate at times, with the two players taking turns driving to the rim.
The Celtics also shoot a lot of three-pointers, which can cause significant variation in the offense’s efficacy. If Boston wants to make a serious Finals push this season, they’ll need to figure out how to incorporate some dynamic looks.
Celtics advance to the NBA Conference Finals.
Despite Barkley’s fears, the Celtics shot well against the Cavs on Wednesday, making more than 52% of their shots, including 44% from the three-point line.
For much of the first half Wednesday night, it appeared that Boston would struggle at home once more, despite Cleveland missing star guard Donovan Mitchell (left calf strain), guard Caris LeVert (left knee bone bruise), and starting center Jarrett Allen, who missed his eighth straight game with a bruised rib.
Cleveland led for much of the first half, thanks in large part to a torrid shooting effort by former Celtics big man Marcus Morris, who had 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the first 24 minutes, until Boston pulled ahead 58-52 at halftime.
Veteran big man Al Horford scored 13 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers, while also grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out three assists. His plus-14 in the second half was the highest among all Celtics players during that period.
After the game, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla made it clear to everyone that he and the team appreciated Horford’s efforts in Boston’s series-clinching victory.
“I thought he was tremendous,” Mazzulla said of Horford at the postgame press conference. “Grateful for Al.”
After advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth time in eight years, the Celtics will now face the winner of the other Eastern Conference semifinal between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. New York leads the series 3–2 entering into Friday’s Game 6 in Indianapolis, with the conference finals expected to begin at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon or Tuesday night.
