Boston Celtics: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

5. The Cs move one win away from the NBA Finals

Beating LeBron James once is difficult. Winning four out of seven games against LeBron James in a playoff series is something no team in the Eastern Conference has been able to accomplish since 2010.

Despite taking a 2-0 series lead in their conference finals battle with the Cavaliers, it didn’t last, as Cleveland came back to tie the series heading into a crucial Game 5 in Boston.

With all the momentum after two convincing victories, it looked like the Cavs would be able to carry their play into the next game, stealing home-court in the process and in all likelihood ending the series in six games just a couple nights later.

Whatever qualms Celtic fans had about their chances in Game 5 were put to rest early, as Cleveland’s only lead was a measly three points midway through the opening frame, while Boston opened up a double-digit lead soon after that wound up at 13 by the final buzzer.

In the grand scheme of things, this Game 5 victory didn’t mean as much as it could’ve, since the C’s wound up losing this series in seven games.

However, for a few days, Boston was only one win away from the improbable — ending LeBron’s conference domination and returning to the Finals for the first time since 2010 — all without two of its best players while led by a 20-year-old rookie.

To show such poise in a game that most would crumble under once again showed the true character of what this Celtics team is and what they will continue to be, all while inching so close to a stage the franchise is accustomed to standing on.