Al Horford and the Boston Celtics have been through considerable playoff adversity in the past. As one would recall, the Celtics experienced playoff heartbreak at its worst when they lost in the 2022 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Thus, it’s no surprise that the Celtics are prepared for the worst opposing crowds can hurl at them, as evidenced by their resounding 128-120 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night.
Horford has not had the best of series against his old team. The veteran Celtics big man has scored in single digits in the first five games of the series, including a donut in Game 4. But Horford definitely has it in him to step up when it matters most – and Celtics fans may have one specific Hawks fan to thank for the veteran’s timely shot-making.
As Jared Weiss of The Athletic noted, Al Horford relished the opportunity of sticking it into the face of a Hawks fan who certainly now regrets his decision to jeer the Celtics center.
“There’s some people you can talk trash to. If you talk trash to me, it’s probably not good for you,” Horford said after the Celtics clinched the series.
"Some people you can talk trash to. You talk trash to me, probably not good for you."
drop the mic Al 😤 pic.twitter.com/6OC3MohPU8
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 28, 2023
The Celtics have proven that they can win, with or without Al Horford’s scoring contributions. But Horford’s ability to space the floor makes the lives of every Celtic that much easier.
With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown commanding so much defensive attention, the onus will be on the Celtics’ role players to make their opponents pay, and on Thursday night, Horford proved that he’s not someone to be trifled with.
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