The Boston Celtics punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second-straight year, which now bodes a reunion between rookie Jayson Tatum and his childhood idol LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Yet the nerves of going up against someone he once looked up to will be completely different, now with a task at hand and a full season's worth of NBA experience on his belt.

“It's like night and day,” said Tatum, who led his team with 25 points in Game 5 to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. “The first time we played them, I was so nervous. But it's been 90 days since then and we've been through a lot more. We're relaxed and calm, and ready to go out there and play.”

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Tatum has flourished into the consistent scoring presence the Celtics expected him to be when they selected him third overall in last year's draft. Reportedly the choice president Danny Ainge would have made even if the team still held the first overall pick, his maturity has shown — putting up 20 or more points in his last seven playoff games.

The Duke product put up a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double during his season debut against the Cavs, but the Celtics will need him to push the pedal to the metal this time around and make use of the home court advantage if they hope to dethrone the Eastern Conference Champions.

Tatum posed for a photo as a 14-year-old with his idol James, which resurfaced shortly after the Celtics won the series, showing just how time flies when dreams come true.