Watch: Al Horford and TD Garden erupt after dagger 3 to eliminate Cavs in semis

Wednesday night at TD Garden, Al Horford and the Boston Celtics aimed to close out the undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers' season. Boston had asserted dominance in the previous two games in Cleveland. The Cavs faced an intimidating challenge, trailing 3-1 in Boston without Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.

Horford led the Celtics with an incredible performance throughout the game. With under a minute left to play, the Celtics' ball movement found Horford open at the top of the key to hit the dagger 3-pointer, erupting the arena's crowd and making a clutch defensive play, forcing the ball out of bounds for the Cavaliers.

Even though Cleveland fought hard, Boston stayed strong throughout, especially when Jrue Holiday made a crucial layup with just over two minutes remaining, widening the Celtics' lead to 108-94.

Jayson Tatum led the team with 25 points, ten rebounds, and nine assists. With a final score of 113-98 in Game 5, Boston claimed the series.

Al Horford propels Boston Celtics to Eastern Conference semifinals

As the first team to secure a spot in the Conference Finals, the Celtics now enjoy a well-deserved break before facing either the New York Knicks or the Indiana Pacers.

Boston now awaits the outcome of the Knicks-Pacers matchup, ideally rooting for a prolonged series to maximize Al Horford's rest period and afford injured Kristaps Porzingis ample time to recover.

Throughout the season, the Celtics heavily relied on Horford, a trend that intensified during the playoffs. With Porzingis sidelined due to a calf injury in the first round, Horford shouldered even greater responsibilities in the second round.

Against the Cavaliers, his increased minutes translated into more defensive assignments, especially guarding Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. Although he faced challenges earlier in the series, notably struggling against Mitchell, Horford became a key figure for the Celtics, akin to an alarm clock awakening them when they needed it most in Game 5.

In the first half, Horford showed off his defensive skills, as he blocked Garland three times and was all over the loose balls, which pumped up the Celtics when they were having a bit of a slow period in the second quarter.

Even though he'd been struggling with his outside shot in the series, Horford finally got his groove back from beyond the arc in this crucial win, hitting six 3-pointers. As the game wrapped up, the Boston fans chanted 'M-V-P' as Horford left the court.