It’s special, says Jayson Tatum after advancing to the NBA Finals

Boston Celtics talisman Jayson Tatum shared his delight after they clean swept the Indians Pacers 4-0 in the Eastern Conference finals on Monday. The Celtics won the fourth game of the series by 105-102 to qualify for the NBA finals, where they wait for either the Minnesota Timberwolves or Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks are currently leading by 3-0 in the West finals.

Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown won the Larry Bird Trophy as Eastern Conference finals MVP and he shared his surprise when Boston Celtics legend Cedric Maxwell called out his name. Brown also gave credit to the Indiana Pacers for pushing them to the limits throughout the series.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” Brown said. “I’m just happy that we won,” Brown continued. “And give credit to Indiana, they played us tough. I know people think that Indiana wasn’t a good team or whatever the case may be, but I thought they were as tough as anybody we played all season. They were physical, they were fast, they put a lot of pressure on us. So shout out to them, and respect to them.”

Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists and once again played a key role in his team’s success.

“It’s special,” Tatum said of advancing to the NBA Finals for the second time in his career. “Even though we’ve been there before, most of us have, you don’t take it for granted. We were excited.

“It was a hell of a team we just played, they made us earn every single game and we’re extremely grateful to move on to the Finals.”

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle gave credit to the Boston Celtics for coming up with a collective effort.

“Give them credit for the stuff they pulled off at the end of the last two games,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “They simply made more plays. They blocked shots. They got offensive rebounds. They made key shots.”

The Celtics will look to continue their good form in the NBA finals.