Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics was seen on the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse embracing his mother after his team advanced to the NBA Finals for the second time.
Tatum hugged his mother, Brandy Cole, and spoke with her as he celebrated his team’s sweep of the Indiana Pacers.
The star scored 26 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists as the Celtics advanced to the NBA championship series for the second time in three seasons.
Jaylen Brown was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP, leading the club in scoring with 29 points. Derrick White’s tiebreaking corner 3-pointer with 45 seconds left in regulation sealed the 105-102 victory on Monday night in Indianapolis.
Andrew Nembhard led the sixth-seeded Pacers with 24 points and a playoff career-high 10 assists.
+3View gallery
Jayson Tatum embraces his mother, Brandy Cole, after the Celtics victory over the Pacers
+3View gallery
Boston overcome a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit and played superior basketball down the line.
The Pacers’ defensive breakdown left White standing alone in the right corner for the decisive shot. Brown noticed him and gave him the ball, and White’s shot went through the net.
Nembhard missed a three-pointer with 33.6 seconds remaining, and Tatum grabbed the rebound. Indiana chose not to foul, and Tatum missed a three-pointer with 8.3 seconds left.
But Jrue Holiday grabbed the offensive rebound with 4.7 seconds remaining, and the Celtics ran out the clock.
Boston won its second straight comeback in Indianapolis, defeating the Pacers 114-111 after rallying from an eight-point deficit with 2:38 remaining in Game 3.
Holiday had 17 points and nine rebounds on Monday and White added 16 points, five steals and three blocked shots for the Celtics, who will face either the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves in the Finals.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while T.J. McConnell contributed 15 points. Aaron Nesmith scored 14 points, while Obi Toppin contributed 12.
Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) missed his second consecutive game.
+3View gallery
Jayson Tatum addresses the media following Boston’s 105-102 victory in Game 4 of the ECF.
The Celtics shot 44.9% from the field, including 14 of 44 from three-point range.
Indiana made 46 percent of its shots and went 10 of 29 from beyond the arc.
McConnell scored six points in 64 seconds early in the fourth quarter, giving the Pacers an 89-82 advantage. With 8:57 left, Nembhard scored three points to make the score 94-85.
After Boston pulled within four, Nesmith made back-to-back baskets to give Indiana a 98-90 advantage with 5:56 remaining.
The Celtics responded with an 8-2 run, closing to 100-98 on Holiday’s three-point play with 3:54 left.
Brown’s runner tied the score at 102 with 2:40 remaining.
Tatum scored 16 points before halftime, and Boston led 58-57 at the break. Nembhard also scored 16 points in the first half.
The Pacers led 83-80 entering the fourth quarter.