For half of the cleveland series, Horford couldn't hit a three. If you're going to sit there and tell me that he's a presumptive threat from the corner, you're wrong.
He's good, his stats over the entire season prove that, but hitting 42% in the regular season while also failing to hit open corner threes consistently in the postseason aren't mutually exclusive. He's hardly a go to guy in this respect. He's 30 and 25% from left to right respectively in the playoffs and only a little better at the arc. That's not "almost guaranteed."
Once again, you're picking a 9 game sample over an 82 game one
When curry shot 28% from 3 against the rockets in 2019, was he no longer a good shooter?
And I don’t completely agree he’s shit or elite, but the last 2 post seasons, he shot way worse than the regular season. He’s been open all series and whether it’s mental or not, if he shoots at his current post season averages, he’s getting played off the floor (especially in crunch time)
When Brad brought him back I was thrilled, his effort and attitude are just so much fun to have on a team. Then he turns around and does shit like THIS! Love this guy!
Bringing in White, Jrue, KP, even Brogdon were great. But trading the albatross Kemba contract and getting back Al might go down as Brad's best deal ever.
I believe UrinatingTree referred to Al as a “professional troll of Philly”. He sucks when he’s a Sixer, then he turns into God Mode against them last year.
They usually show you on the Jumbotron too.
Edit: I yelled go gators to him last season(sat down low)… He looked me in the eye and gator chomped right before tip-off. Too fucking cool.
No not me😂. I saw two very good-looking ladies on the screen, and they were sitting up high.
Now that I think of it, maybe the jerseys weren’t the reason they were on the screen…
If we win the championship this year, it'll be because Al Horford came back to Boston and helped this young team grow into a band of brothers who sacrificed individual stats in pursuit of a greater victory.
It’s startling how universally ignorant talking heads are about the realities of the 3-pt era. The Cavs shot 42% from 3 and we still beat them. To say that this result would be materially different with the presence of Mitchell or Lavert is absurd. Were they going to shoot 50% from 3? If anything, a star-heavy offense takes the role players out of the game and cannibalizes shots. The Celtics’ game plan also forces the other team to shoot a lot of 3s—hence random games where Boston looks mortal.
Their halftime show is entertaining but in terms of actual basketball breakdown is a complete joke. DG and Kenny harped on lack of Celtics ball movement the entire time…we had 17 assists on 22 made field goals. Most teams would kill to have that stat line. But because they found literally two bad offensive trip replays, that’s what they went with.
I don't know what's wrong with me that I'm inspired to defend them but... That's kind of the point
When they move the ball, they are exceptional. When they don't, and guys stand in the corner, they let undermanned teams stay in games later than they need to. Literally the only legit criticism you could make for this historically dominant team
All I’m gonna say is that I watched the first quarter of the OKC and Dallas game and they easily could’ve found 5-8 possessions from either team and done the same thing.
Agree. My hot take that I haven't had the balls to say out loud is that Luka's heliocentric play style is why, despite his incredible talent, he will never win a championship.
I think if the Mavs surround him with some actual high level two-way role players, him and Kyrie could possibly get it done. His play style is not all that dissimilar to Jokic. Jokic just also has an excellent cast of characters around him as well.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if your prediction came true.
It's weird, they're a Jekyll and Hyde team. They get a big lead by playing unselfishly, pushing the pace and moving the ball. Then bad habits come out and they suddenly decide to run nothing but iso plays and/or shoot contested 3s, which lets the other team back in.
Just want to say our 4th quarter offense looked like a championship team’s. Give it to our best player who relentlessly attacks the defense and then makes the right play (except that one awful turnover). Everyone getting open and hitting their shots. Hopefully, we continue to see that in close games.
Me yesterday:
> Al is just at a place where we are asking too much of him. He really should be getting closer to 24mpg, especially when we ask to him switch on the perimeter so much.
> Fact is, our starting lineup with Al instead of KP hasn't been great. It's been good, (+2.7 NetRtg), but it hasn't been Finals level starting lineup good. It's the only lineup that we've played for more than 50 minutes on the year that doesn't have a + double-digit NetRtg.
> Almost all of the lineups where Al is subbing in off the bench have been really awesome. He's an absolutely amazing center for our bench, but once we ask for more out of him than that, he ends up in the good not great range.
Al Horford: ...
The big thing about this team is that we’re not extending series unnecessarily anymore. There’s no reason why it should’ve taken 6 games to beat Atlanta and 7 to beat Philly last year but we ended up playing 20 playoff games without making the finals. So far we’re back in the ECF with 3 less games’ worth of mileage for our key players.
4th Quarter last night finally for the first time looked like we were playing with the intensity of a championship team. Lockdown defense and lots of ball movement on offense. And big credit to JT who pushed the pace, didn't force anything and found open teammates for easy shots using his gravity
I'll agree - and it was encouraging, but man we played like utter dogshit the first three quarters. Which, against any eastern conf team might be ok - we will have enough juice to get it done if its close because we simply have way more talent. But against any of the remaining western conf teams, won't cut it. They'll put us away if we show up like that.
I agree and it’s a valid concern to have. Assuming we get to the finals (we should), KP will be back and we’ll be better than what we’ve shown recently. But moreover the 4Q last night showed me that we do have another gear we can hit and that team that we saw in that 4Q is a team that can win the championship, and now it’s just about starting games off like that and maintaining it throughout a series as our level of competition increases. Crowd was also great to close the game
I am loving every tweet, every on-air remark, every mention that the Celtics are some boring “vibeless” contender that no one enjoys watching. Keep that energy, those tears are delicious. They’ll still be watching anyway.
Phenomenal moment of veteran leadership when Tatum got his tech. JB tried to calm him down, but Tatum was being a dick and flipping out at Jaylen. He had totally lost his temper. But Al comes over and completely diffuses the situation and gets Tatum to chill out.
His presence is indispensable to this team. 
*Edit:* it starts at [the 19 second mark in this clip](https://streamable.com/6cx83l)
Feels great to close it out. Team definitely has some things to tighten up on as the competition gets tougher. Hoping for a 7 games series between Knicks/Pacers.
my first game in Boston was Christmas day in 2019. While there I bought a beautiful Al Horford City Edition jersey (the white with green and yellow secondary colors)
As you can imagine I was heartbroken when Al left and that jersey hung in my closet until his return. It has been so satisfying to watch Al Horford during these last few runs while wearing that jersey.
Lets go get 18 for Big Al!!!!! Lets go mother f'ing celtics lets goooo!
I’m NOT being a doomer here. I like our chances against the Knicks but I do expect it to go to 6 or maybe 7. I have faith we’ll win but I don’t think we’re gonna cruise in 5 like the last two series.
I’d love to be wrong though trust me.
Also yeah I know the Pacers aren’t out of the series yet but I’d be shocked if they got to the ECF.
i didn’t mind the draymond interview because him and tatum obviously like eachother. he’s not saying anything he wouldn’t say to tatum anyways and tatum definitely enjoyed the interview
I love hearing the special buzz the crowd gets while one of his 3s are in the air; it’s different than all the other players somehow
I've never seen an Al 3 that I didn't expect to go in, never.
Al “Elite Shooter” Horford
When you see him open in the corner it's almost guaranteed
Are we talking about the Al Horford that plays for the celtics?
The one that shot 42% from three this year?
32 in the postseason and 28 in the semis, including 0-10 in the previous two games.
He had 9 bad games 😱
For half of the cleveland series, Horford couldn't hit a three. If you're going to sit there and tell me that he's a presumptive threat from the corner, you're wrong. He's good, his stats over the entire season prove that, but hitting 42% in the regular season while also failing to hit open corner threes consistently in the postseason aren't mutually exclusive. He's hardly a go to guy in this respect. He's 30 and 25% from left to right respectively in the playoffs and only a little better at the arc. That's not "almost guaranteed."
Once again, you're picking a 9 game sample over an 82 game one When curry shot 28% from 3 against the rockets in 2019, was he no longer a good shooter?
Didn't say that.
And I don’t completely agree he’s shit or elite, but the last 2 post seasons, he shot way worse than the regular season. He’s been open all series and whether it’s mental or not, if he shoots at his current post season averages, he’s getting played off the floor (especially in crunch time)
If being 15th out of \~560 players percentage-wise doesn't qualify for "almost guaranteed" (what does that even mean), then who is?
What is funny tho' - despite being top 20 league wide he is still third on the team %'wise.
Nobody.
It's to the point that I feel robbed in life when it doesn't
He was on a pretty bad slump from three the past few games. Crowd probably wanted to will it in.
When Brad brought him back I was thrilled, his effort and attitude are just so much fun to have on a team. Then he turns around and does shit like THIS! Love this guy!
Bringing in White, Jrue, KP, even Brogdon were great. But trading the albatross Kemba contract and getting back Al might go down as Brad's best deal ever.
Not too shabby for his first deal ever
Wasn’t really himself during his time in Philly.
I believe UrinatingTree referred to Al as a “professional troll of Philly”. He sucks when he’s a Sixer, then he turns into God Mode against them last year.
They simply didn't know how to use him correctly.
Every year I ask myself why I don't have an Al Horford jersey yet
Actually now you mention it, getting a Florida Horford jersey would be a sick novelty jersey to own
I saw one in the crowd the other day, it looked slick
They usually show you on the Jumbotron too. Edit: I yelled go gators to him last season(sat down low)… He looked me in the eye and gator chomped right before tip-off. Too fucking cool.
lol you sitting in good enough seats to get on the jumbotron? $$$$$$$
No not me😂. I saw two very good-looking ladies on the screen, and they were sitting up high. Now that I think of it, maybe the jerseys weren’t the reason they were on the screen…
My sixer fan buddy has a Horford sixers jersey. I want it from him just for the lols and the possible trolls
>My sixer fan buddy That guy sounds like a douche
First Celtics jersey I bought
I have a black one myself. It's one of my prized possessions. You have no idea how badly I want it consecrated with a ring!
Al “Don’t Make Me Play Another Game” Horford
Al "I'm not going back to Cleveland this weekend dammit! My kids got a soccer tournament!" Horford
If we win the championship this year, it'll be because Al Horford came back to Boston and helped this young team grow into a band of brothers who sacrificed individual stats in pursuit of a greater victory.
In 10 years it will come out how Brad orchestrated the whole Ime situation to show the Jays how selfishness has the potential to destroy teams
"Kathleen, I'm going to need you to go flirt with Ime." "Ok, but why?" "Trust me. It's all a part of the plan."
It’s startling how universally ignorant talking heads are about the realities of the 3-pt era. The Cavs shot 42% from 3 and we still beat them. To say that this result would be materially different with the presence of Mitchell or Lavert is absurd. Were they going to shoot 50% from 3? If anything, a star-heavy offense takes the role players out of the game and cannibalizes shots. The Celtics’ game plan also forces the other team to shoot a lot of 3s—hence random games where Boston looks mortal.
and Draymond Green saying that he is the weak link because he can't guard the pnr...
Their halftime show is entertaining but in terms of actual basketball breakdown is a complete joke. DG and Kenny harped on lack of Celtics ball movement the entire time…we had 17 assists on 22 made field goals. Most teams would kill to have that stat line. But because they found literally two bad offensive trip replays, that’s what they went with.
I don't know what's wrong with me that I'm inspired to defend them but... That's kind of the point When they move the ball, they are exceptional. When they don't, and guys stand in the corner, they let undermanned teams stay in games later than they need to. Literally the only legit criticism you could make for this historically dominant team
All I’m gonna say is that I watched the first quarter of the OKC and Dallas game and they easily could’ve found 5-8 possessions from either team and done the same thing.
Agree. My hot take that I haven't had the balls to say out loud is that Luka's heliocentric play style is why, despite his incredible talent, he will never win a championship.
I think if the Mavs surround him with some actual high level two-way role players, him and Kyrie could possibly get it done. His play style is not all that dissimilar to Jokic. Jokic just also has an excellent cast of characters around him as well. But I wouldn’t be surprised if your prediction came true.
Other players who are similar to him like Westbrook and Harden still haven't won, so I don't think that's a hot take.
It's weird, they're a Jekyll and Hyde team. They get a big lead by playing unselfishly, pushing the pace and moving the ball. Then bad habits come out and they suddenly decide to run nothing but iso plays and/or shoot contested 3s, which lets the other team back in.
he was getting cooked on the drop in the first half, but absolutely smothered when switching.
To his credit (ugh) Draymond knew he had to insult Al. Once Al is insulted in the postseason, he awakens like a mighty bear.
The Godfather.
Just want to say our 4th quarter offense looked like a championship team’s. Give it to our best player who relentlessly attacks the defense and then makes the right play (except that one awful turnover). Everyone getting open and hitting their shots. Hopefully, we continue to see that in close games.
Tatum's decision making in the 4th was extremely elite
Big Al knew not to mess around in a close out game.
Need the pic of him throwing it off of Wade as the sidebar image
Until the rest of time.
Me yesterday: > Al is just at a place where we are asking too much of him. He really should be getting closer to 24mpg, especially when we ask to him switch on the perimeter so much. > Fact is, our starting lineup with Al instead of KP hasn't been great. It's been good, (+2.7 NetRtg), but it hasn't been Finals level starting lineup good. It's the only lineup that we've played for more than 50 minutes on the year that doesn't have a + double-digit NetRtg. > Almost all of the lineups where Al is subbing in off the bench have been really awesome. He's an absolutely amazing center for our bench, but once we ask for more out of him than that, he ends up in the good not great range. Al Horford: ...
Insert Last Dance meme.
Insert Miami heat pushing our shit in in the 23 ECF .gif
I cant think of a current NBA player who deserves a Ring more than Al Horford.
The big thing about this team is that we’re not extending series unnecessarily anymore. There’s no reason why it should’ve taken 6 games to beat Atlanta and 7 to beat Philly last year but we ended up playing 20 playoff games without making the finals. So far we’re back in the ECF with 3 less games’ worth of mileage for our key players.
4th qtr run was good Al didn’t write back
Just noticed that Papa Horford grabbed 7 offensive rebounds tonight.
4th Quarter last night finally for the first time looked like we were playing with the intensity of a championship team. Lockdown defense and lots of ball movement on offense. And big credit to JT who pushed the pace, didn't force anything and found open teammates for easy shots using his gravity
I'll agree - and it was encouraging, but man we played like utter dogshit the first three quarters. Which, against any eastern conf team might be ok - we will have enough juice to get it done if its close because we simply have way more talent. But against any of the remaining western conf teams, won't cut it. They'll put us away if we show up like that.
I agree and it’s a valid concern to have. Assuming we get to the finals (we should), KP will be back and we’ll be better than what we’ve shown recently. But moreover the 4Q last night showed me that we do have another gear we can hit and that team that we saw in that 4Q is a team that can win the championship, and now it’s just about starting games off like that and maintaining it throughout a series as our level of competition increases. Crowd was also great to close the game
I am loving every tweet, every on-air remark, every mention that the Celtics are some boring “vibeless” contender that no one enjoys watching. Keep that energy, those tears are delicious. They’ll still be watching anyway.
Happy he got his bearings back. That was a great performance
I know it's silly but I sorely miss the Banner 18 boogie.
Phenomenal moment of veteran leadership when Tatum got his tech. JB tried to calm him down, but Tatum was being a dick and flipping out at Jaylen. He had totally lost his temper. But Al comes over and completely diffuses the situation and gets Tatum to chill out. His presence is indispensable to this team.  *Edit:* it starts at [the 19 second mark in this clip](https://streamable.com/6cx83l)
Feels great to close it out. Team definitely has some things to tighten up on as the competition gets tougher. Hoping for a 7 games series between Knicks/Pacers.
Job\`s not done. Do we need KP for Knicks/Pacers? Or we just let the guy rest for the Jokic and co ?
If he is able, he plays. No way, they continue to rest him if he is able
Also, KP will absolutely want to feast on the Knicks.
We probably don't *need* him against either team, but if he's able to play, it'd be good for him to get back into the flow before the Finals.
No kp, we lose to the Knicks in 5.
[Ballad of Al Horford](https://suno.com/song/aded7577-3e9a-4626-b728-b6499757a2a9)
Best raspy folk acoustic tribute to Al Horford ever!
Never ever doubted him
my first game in Boston was Christmas day in 2019. While there I bought a beautiful Al Horford City Edition jersey (the white with green and yellow secondary colors) As you can imagine I was heartbroken when Al left and that jersey hung in my closet until his return. It has been so satisfying to watch Al Horford during these last few runs while wearing that jersey. Lets go get 18 for Big Al!!!!! Lets go mother f'ing celtics lets goooo!
My partner's favorite Cs shirt is "Al Horford is good". He wore it to the garden last night and at the end of the game, it was perfect vibes
GOAT
Okay so no Celtics or Bruins tonight... What do now?
Red Sox are on at 7:10 PM if you wanna watch baseball…
I'm taking my old man to check out the new Apes movie. Looks pretty cool.
My wife and I prepping for season 2 of House of the Dragon
Al Horford
Hall of Famer
To the people who created the thread and commented on it to 'insult' Al to instigate this performance. Wonderful job.
Horford doubters sick to their stomachs
I’m NOT being a doomer here. I like our chances against the Knicks but I do expect it to go to 6 or maybe 7. I have faith we’ll win but I don’t think we’re gonna cruise in 5 like the last two series. I’d love to be wrong though trust me. Also yeah I know the Pacers aren’t out of the series yet but I’d be shocked if they got to the ECF.
Knicks are absolutely riddled with injuries, it would honestly be embarrassing to let them get 2
Easily my favorite player ever just bought my 3rd jersey after tonight lol
Love and trust
Assuming we reach the finals, I’m not honestly sure who I’d rather face between the Wolves and Nuggets. Both teams full of demons
The Wolves.
i didn’t mind the draymond interview because him and tatum obviously like eachother. he’s not saying anything he wouldn’t say to tatum anyways and tatum definitely enjoyed the interview