Miami Heat fans chanted, "We Want Boston!" after earning a first-round matchup with the Celtics last month. Boston beat them in five games.
Cleveland Cavaliers fans got into the act following their first-round win over the Orlando Magic. After they, too, walked off the court following a 4-1 series loss to the Celtics on Wednesday, Boston fans near the Cavs' bench held up signs spelling out a question.
"Who wants Boston next?"
For now the Celtics will have to wait for that answer after wrapping up their third consecutive trip to the Eastern Conference finals with a 113-98 win over the the Cavaliers. Boston will face the winner of the matchup between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. New York leads that series 3-2.
While Boston won the final two games of its series over a depleted Cavs' team that was missing injured Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert, the East's' top seed did have to overcome its first dose of adversity this postseason.
The Celtics played the entire series without starting center Kristaps Porzingis, who continues to recover from the calf strain he sustained late last round against the Heat. They also had to bounce back after losing Game 2 and home-court advantage against the Cavs. Three consecutive wins later, Boston likes the trajectory it's on just four victories shy of returning to the NBA Finals
"People might think that it's a given that we're supposed to be here," said All-Star Jayson Tatum, who will be making his fifth trip to the conference finals. "I give a lot of credit to everybody in the front office, the coaching staff, the trainers, the guys that hand out the equipment, the ball boys, the cooks, the chefs, security team. We're all in this together."
After enduring much criticism for some lackluster performances last postseason, Tatum has been one of his team's most consistent players, averaging 24.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. His rebounding numbers are up from 8.1 per game during the regular season.
Fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown is following suit averaging a career playoff-high 24.4 points to along with 6.9 rebounds.