Al Horford: Celtics wouldn't be in Eastern Conference finals without Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum

Matt Eppers | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Brad Stevens’ advice to Celtics prepping for LeBron: ‘Go outside’ Brad Stevens has a suggestion for his banged-up Boston Celtics roster as they brace for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Much has been made about the Philadelphia 76ers' budding star tandem of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. The Boston Celtics showed they have a pretty good young duo of their own.

Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 25 points for the Celtics, including 10 in the fourth quarter, as they clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference finals with a 114-112 win in Game 5. Jaylen Brown scored 24, and the pair combined to shoot 18-of-28 from the floor.

After eliminating the 76ers, veteran Celtics center Al Horford made sure everyone knows that Brown and Tatum are just as important to Boston's success as Simmons and Embiid are to Philadelphia's. Seated next to the 21-year-old Brown at the postgame press conference, Horford heaped praise on him and the 20-year-old Tatum.

"If him and even a guy like Tatum weren't growing as players, we couldn't have been at this point," Horford said. "It's a lot of credit to both of them."

Brown, the third overall pick in the 2016 draft, is averaging 16.2 points a game on 46% shooting in the playoffs. He had his best performance of the second round in Game 5 after overcoming a hamstring injury earlier in the series. He scored 30 or more twice in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Tatum, the third overall pick in last year's draft, is averaging 18.3 points a game on 45.2% shooting in the playoffs. He was the Celtics' leading scorer in each of the final four games against the 76ers.

"People from the outside probably expected not much out of us, but I've seen the way these guys prepare and the way they train, and they want to be great," Horford said.

Boston hosts Cleveland in Game 1 of the East finals on Sunday afternoon.