Al Horford’s stat-line in final night time’s win towards the Knicks gained’t bounce out – the 37-year-old backup heart completed with 10 factors and seven rebounds in 26 minutes of motion.
However, in his personal quiet method, it was one more dominant efficiency. Horford grabbed 4 offensive rebounds within the remaining interval, turned again the clock and muscled his method into a number of profitable post-ups, and got here up with some quintessential key defensive performs to assist make sure the Celtics would stroll away on high.
In flip, the Celtics strung collectively their eighth consecutive win, in addition to their eighth straight win on the street, courting again to their January eleventh defeat in Milwaukee.
They maintain one of the best file within the East by a placing eight video games with the #2 Cavaliers nearer to the eighth seed than they’re to Boston. Additionally they have a league-best level differential of 10.3 per recreation, a mark that exceeds that of the ‘08 championship crew.
But, they’re not happy, and Horford needs to verify it stays that method.
“We’re persevering with to play good basketball,” Horford stated after serving to the Celtics overtake the Knicks 116-102. “We’re actually attempting to play the proper method. Joe is absolutely difficult us to proceed to get higher. This can be a stretch of the season the place we are able to actually take it to a different degree, and that’s what we’re attempting to do.”
Earlier than the season began, a lot was made from which of the Celtics’ high six gamers could be relegated to the bench. Horford, an NBA starter of 16 years, graciously made the transfer to sixth man.
With Kristaps Porzingis and others within the beginning unit lacking time, Horford has gotten his fair proportion of begins this season — 22 out of 47 video games performed to date — however he’s additionally excelled in a brand new function that facilities on him coming in to supply bursts of power, ball motion, and rebounding.
The Celtics, and Kristaps Porzingis, particularly, struggled on the glass within the first half. The Knicks grabbed 7 offensive rebounds for 9 second-chance factors, however Joe Mazzulla stated that Horford minimized the injury by stopping the Knicks from grabbing a number of rebounds in order that his teammates have been in a position to, a play that doesn’t present up on the stat sheet however nonetheless saved the crew a number of baskets.
“Al, I believed, his physicality within the first half – there have been a pair 50/50 rebounds that stored the Knicks out of these transition alternatives,” Mazzulla stated.
This was the play of the sport for the Celtics final night time — lead was all the way down to 9 and Payton Pritchard, Al Horford simply crush the offensive glass. Convey it again to double digits and the remaining was historypic.twitter.com/B3OQ2S23f6
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) February 25, 2024
Offensively, Horford was intent on attacking mismatches. Usually, he spends a lot of his time on offense within the corners, the place he’s hit 42.8% of three-pointer makes an attempt this season. However, with Valuable Achiuwa guarding him for stretches of the fourth, he acknowledged a bonus and started to work his method down low.
“We type of noticed that that was one other method to create a two-on-one, they have been doubling these,” Joe Mazzulla stated. “He did an important job, he had one end, one other offensive rebound, and he handed up for an additional open shot. When he can actually have an effect on the sport defensively, and is type of a facilitator, it’s massive for us.”
Horford scored six factors within the fourth, which was tied for essentially the most of any Celtic on the roster within the closing interval. Each time it felt just like the Knicks may construct just a little momentum, he was there with a giant play.
With 11 minutes to go, for instance, Al took Achiuwa baseline to push an 11-point result in 13.
Horford’s teammates and coaches have routinely empathized his influence on the ball membership, emphasizing how a lot it uplifts the remainder of the group to see the veteran making influence play after influence play.
Final night time in Madison Sq. Backyard, almost 17 years after he was drafted, that influence was on full show.
“It offers us a lot power and we get so excited when he does these issues,” Jayson Tatum stated after a November twenty eighth win over Atlanta. “That’s contagious. The gang feeds off of that. He’s the man on our crew. All people loves him and respects him. Night time in and night time out, he does issues like that we are able to’t say thanks sufficient.”
