BOSTON — The Celtics are on to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight season and the sixth time in the last eight years. But who they’ll play for a trip to the NBA Finals and when the series will tip off will remain unknown for a few more days.

Boston finished off the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games, thanks to Al Horford turning back the clock and leading the team to a 113-98 series-clinching victory at TD Garden on Wednesday night. Now the Celtics will get at least a few days off before their next playoff bout begins. 

We’ll have a better idea of how it will all shake out over the next two days. Boston gets the winner of the Knicks-Pacers series, with New York leading the set 3-2 heading into Friday night’s Game 6 in Indiana. A Knicks win on Friday would set up a highly anticipated Boston-New York conference finals, which would tip off either Sunday or Tuesday at TD Garden. If the Pacers even the series and force a Game 7 in New York, that would take the Sunday afternoon slot. 

The Timberwolves-Nuggets series in the Western Conference also factors into Boston’s future. If the Timberwolves force a Game 7 against the Nuggets with a win on Thursday night, that deciding game would also take place on Sunday and the Eastern Conference Finals would be pushed to Tuesday. 

For those who like to plan ahead, here are two schedules for the Eastern Conference Finals, depending on how things play out in the NBA playoffs the rest of the week.

Eastern Conference Finals schedule if Knicks-Pacers and Nuggets-Timberwolves finish in six games

Game 1: Sunday, May 19 at 3:30 p.m. in Boston
Game 2: Tuesday, May 21 at 8 p.m. in Boston
Game 3: Saturday, May 25 at 8:30 p.m. in New York or Indiana
Game 4: Monday, May 27 at 8 p.m. in New York or Indiana
Game 5: Wednesday, May 29 at 8 p.m. in Boston*
Game 6: Friday, May 31 at 8 p.m. in New York or Indiana*
Game 7: Sunday, June 2 at 8 p.m. in Boston*
* If Necessary

Eastern Conference Finals schedule if Knicks-Pacers or Nuggets-Timberwolves go seven games

Game 1: Tuesday, May 21 at 8 p.m. in Boston
Game 2: Thursday, May 23 at 8 p.m. in Boston
Game 3: Saturday, May 25 at 8:30 p.m. in New York or Indiana
Game 4: Monday, May 27 at 8 p.m. in New York or Indiana
Game 5: Wednesday, May 29 at 8 p.m. in Boston*
Game 6: Friday, May 31 at 8 p.m. in New York or Indiana*
Game 7: Sunday, June 2 at 8 p.m. in Boston*
* If Necessary

The Celtics will obviously be rooting for the Knicks and the Pacers to go seven and exhaust each other further. Horford could use a few extra days rest after his monster Game 5 against the Cavs, and if the Celtics are lucky, maybe Kristaps Porzingis could return early in the Conference Finals. (That may be wishful thinking, but time will tell.)

Either way, the Celtics should take full advantage of the rest they get before starting their battle for a spot in the NBA Finals. That will be important against either team, with the Pacers playing every game like a track meet and games against the Knicks resembling more of a boxing match.

On Wednesday evening, the Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series.

Jaylen Brown had a quiet night, and finished with 11 points, four rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block while shooting 4/9 from the field and 1/3 from the three-point range in 41 minutes of playing time.

By advancing to the Conference Finals, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported that Brown earned a significant contract bonus.

Via Marks: “🚨Bonus Alert 🚨 Jaylen Brown ✅Conference Finals 💰$369,048”

Brown finished the regular season with averages of 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals per contest while shooting 49.9% from the field and 35.4% from the three-point range in 70 games.

The All-Star forward helped the Celtics finish as the first seed in the Eastern Conference (with a 64-18 record).

They beat the Miami Heat in the first round before eliminating the Cavs on Wednesday.

Brown was the third pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Cal and is in his eighth season in the league (all with Boston).

Despite only being 27, he is headed to his sixth Eastern Conference Finals appearance.

However, the Celtics have been unable to win a title since the 2008 season when Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were still on the roster.

The Celtics will play either the New York Knicks or the Indiana Pacers.

Currently, the Knicks lead the Pacers 3-2 with Game 6 on Friday evening in Indiana.

3rd Quarter Report

The Celtics and the Cavaliers have shown up to the contest, but their offenses sure haven’t. Sitting on a score of 58-52, the Celtics have looked like the better team, but there’s still one more quarter to play.

If the Celtics keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 4-1 in no time. On the other hand, the Cavaliers will have to make due with a 1-4 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who’s Playing

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics

Regular Season Records: Cleveland 48-34, Boston 64-18

Current Series Standings: Boston 3, Cleveland 1

How To Watch

What to Know

The Celtics will be playing the full four quarters on Wednesday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They will fight it out against the Cleveland Cavaliers in an Eastern Conference playoff matchup at 7:00 p.m. ET at TD Garden. The Celtics are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 120.6 points per game this season.

The Cavaliers are out to put a dent in the Celtics’ postseason run, something the Cavaliers tried (and failed) to do on Monday. The Celtics walked away with a 109-102 victory over the Cavaliers. The win made it back-to-back victories for Boston.

The Celtics got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jayson Tatum out in front who dropped a double-double on 33 points and 11 rebounds. Tatum’s evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 30 points.

The Celtics are a win away from taking the series as they lead the Cavaliers 3-1. Check back on CBS Sports after the game to see if the Celtics can seal the deal or if the Cavaliers earn another chance to play this season.

Odds

Boston is a big 14.5-point favorite against Cleveland, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Celtics as a 13.5-point favorite.

The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 205.5 points.

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Boston has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Cleveland.

• May 13, 2024 – Boston 109 vs. Cleveland 102
• May 11, 2024 – Boston 106 vs. Cleveland 93
• May 09, 2024 – Cleveland 118 vs. Boston 94
• May 07, 2024 – Boston 120 vs. Cleveland 95
• Mar 05, 2024 – Cleveland 105 vs. Boston 104
• Dec 14, 2023 – Boston 116 vs. Cleveland 107
• Dec 12, 2023 – Boston 120 vs. Cleveland 113
• Mar 06, 2023 – Cleveland 118 vs. Boston 114
• Mar 01, 2023 – Boston 117 vs. Cleveland 113
• Nov 02, 2022 – Cleveland 114 vs. Boston 113