Even in near certain victory, the Boston Celtics found a way to make the final minutes of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat maybe a little too entertaining for comfort.

With just over three and a half minutes left in the game, Boston held a 98-85 lead over what looked like a gassed Miami team desperate for relief. With just a few smart plays on offense and a few stops on defense, the Celtics could start packing their bags to California to take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

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Then Marcus Smart missed five shots, including three three-pointers. And the team turned the ball over twice. And in a snap, Miami had blazed an 11-0 run to cut the lead to 98-96 with under a minute to go. Any other year and this would be right around when the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" theme music would start playing.

But this is 2022. And when Miami's Jimmy Butler, who played every minute of the game and finished with 35 points, came up just short on a transition three-pointer that would have given Miami its first lead of the night with just seconds left, the ball bounced Jaylen Brown's way.

"I was hoping to God...My mind was to rebound, because I was in the game, so I didn't want to give up a offensive rebound. But when (Butler) shot that, I was like, 'Man, what the hell?'" Brown said. "But he missed, we get the rebound, we move on."

Brown, who finished with 24 points, tipped the ball Boston's way and Miami was forced to foul Marcus Smart, who sank two clutch free throws to end the Celtics' scoring drought and effectively put the game away, 100-96. And now, after all of that, the Boston Celtics will be representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.

After the game, there seemed to be a universal exhale among the Celtics, who looked both in total control of the flow of the game at times and totally capable of letting one of the clearest shots the team's had at making the Finals in years slip through their fingers at others.

Marcus Smart, who also dropped 24 points, said one word went through his mind when the final buzzer sounded: finally.

"You know to be able to get over that hump and have a chance to make it to the NBA Finals," he said. "You know, this is every athlete's dream is to get to that final stage and have an opportunity. And, you know, I've been here four years in the Eastern Conference Finals and, you know, I've been sent home every year after. So it feels really good. And it feels really good for Jayson [Tatum] and Jaylen, you know, we've been together for the longest. And even Al [Horford], man. Al, just happy for him. You know, he played all these games and he works his tail off, he deserves it more than any of us. So it was a great feeling."

Horford, who only notched 5 points but snagged 14 rebounds, noted how resilient the team had been over the course of the year.

"It took us a while, but I feel like once we started to understand how we needed to play, we became more consistent," he said. "You know, this journey, it's not easy. We had a hard path. Brooklyn, Milwaukee, the defending champs, and Miami that's a team, that, look what they did. They took us to the brink. So, for our group, it's resiliency. It's switching the page, moving on to the next thing. And we did that all season."

The sometimes rocky storm of a season for the Celtics was navigated by first-year head coach Ime Udoka, who was saving any major celebrations for later after the big win Sunday night.

"It would be all for naught if we go lay an egg in the Finals and we understand that," he said. "Guys were quick to celebrate, but quick to flip the page and say, 'We've got four more." We don't celebrate Eastern Conference championships in the Celtics organization, so we all fall in line and appreciate that standard of excellence. So, playing for championships, we're here now, let's try to finish the deal."

The one person who may be most responsible with putting those final touches on the season for Boston is Jayson Tatum, who was awarded the first-ever Larry Bird Eastern Conference finals MVP award and put up 26 points and snatched 10 rebounds in one of the biggest moments of his career.

Now, he has his eyes set on a bigger prize than the Conference title. But he was still taking time to enjoy the moment that had escaped him and his team for what's felt like so long.

"This wasn't the goal all season, right? This was just a step in getting where we want to get to," he said. "Obviously, this is a big accomplishment. You know, we haven't been to the championship yet. And I think it's alright to be proud of ourselves today and enjoy this. And we're not satisfied, we know we still got a long way to go. But I think it's alright to enjoy this tonight and be happy. 'Cause it's hard, it's not easy, clearly. This is my first time getting a championship, it is not easy. And we know we have a tough task ahead, (Golden State has) been there many a times, they've won many a times. So, I'm looking forward to it."