After the dysfunctional 2018-19 season, which ended with Kyrie Irving sabotaging the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs and giving up her commitment to re-sign with the legendary franchise, Al Horford chose the security of a better offer of 109 million dollars from the Philadelphia 76ers to leave a free agency.
Two seasons later, the prodigal veteran found his way home to Boston, where the young Celtics he left were preparing to spread their own wings to the All Star, and together they brought what had escaped Horford for 14 seasons and 141 games. from the playoffs, more than any other active player: his first appearance in the NBA Finals.
Horford secured a dominant defensive effort against the Miami Heat in Sunday’s Eastern Conference Finals 7 game, and the three players whose careers he led in Boston – Jason Tatum, Jaylan Brown and Marcus Smart – provided enough attack to survive in 96 series – clinch victory.
“No one deserves it more than this man on the right here, man,” said Brown, who spent the first three seasons of his career playing with Horford and sat next to him on the podium after the game. “His energy, his behavior every day, that he is a professional, that he takes care of his body, that he is a leader, I am proud to be able to share this moment with a veteran, a mentor, a brother, a man like Al Horford. He was great all season, really all my career. I’m happy to share this moment with someone like him. “
Horford, whose maternal grandfather died before Boston’s heartbreaking loss in Game 6, fell to his knees when the emotions struck in his first victory in the conference finals in four attempts. He crouched down and shouted a single word in the hardwood of the FTX Arena. “Yes,” he said many times before his teammates helped him to his feet.
“My grandfather was someone I was extremely close to, someone I really cared about,” Horford said, “and all week my mother, my family told me to just go there and play. This is something he would like to do, just keep going and try to stay focused and realize that he is calm now. “
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Horford became the biggest free agent in Celtics history when he signed in 2016. His Atlanta Hawks had just beaten Boston in the first round series, but they were swept away by LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals and he he saw what the Celtics were building. Boston had Isaiah Thomas, Smart, a mix of hardworking and the last remnant of the 2008 Celtics Championship – two high lottery points earned by the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
Horford led the Celtics to the Eastern Finals in 2017 and 2018, respectively, in the rookie years for overall No. 3 Brown and Tatum. Boston had swapped Thomas for Irving and added Gordon Hayward between the two years, but end-of-season injuries to both All-Stars left the Celtics with Brown and Tatum as their top scorers in a seven-game loss to none other than LeBron’s Cavs. in the Finals of the conference in 2018
“When you lose these series, it obviously hurts and it’s hard,” Tatum said. “But you never forget it. That’s what we all have in common. We’ve all been through these difficult times and we remember how we felt.”
Horford was the best professional of all time. He was ridiculed nationally for LeBron’s loss in four straight playoffs and locally, where a Boston sports radio host called it the “Middle Al”, ignoring Horford’s contribution as a center that allows the Celtics to defend and distribute the floor in attack from all five positions. They just didn’t have the firepower around him to match LeBron’s greatness, at least not yet.
The big man of the Boston Celtics Al Horford kisses the Eastern Conference championship trophy after beating the Miami Heat to qualify for the NBA Finals. (Andy Lions / Getty Images)
So when James left the East and Irving undermined the Celtics, Horford faced another difficult career decision between an active team with a sub-championship ceiling and the next young team on the rise. He chose Joel Ambid, Ben Simmons and Sixers, just to watch the growing trio of Tatum, Brown and Smart lead Boston back to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020, where they lost to Miami in six games.
When Horford’s partnership with Embide failed in Philadelphia, the five-time All Star heard boos from Sixers fans and even worse from their front office. They traded it, along with a slightly defensive peak from the first round, to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a payroll dump. Thunder put Horford on the ice in his pursuit of a high lottery selection and his career was focused on an unceremonious end, with no ambition to win the championship.
But the Celtics called again, needing him again to captain a young crew that had veered off course during the .500 season. Horford was available to anyone who could match his $ 27 million salary last summer, and no one called until Boston offered Kemba Walker a first-round pick in a deal that was criticized by some analysis-minded basketball players. Horford was the same, as always, underestimated.
The Celtics started this season on unstable ground, and first-year coach Name Udoka reminded them of their instability with each decline. Horford laid the foundation for their protective identity, and he trusted the offensive development of Tatum, Brown, and Smart. As necessary as Udoka’s brutally honest criticism was needed, Boston needed Horford’s steady hand to balance the emotions of a young team still finding its way.
“When I came back, it gave us a sense of security,” Smart told Horford. “We have Al there. He will always play the right game on both sides, reassure us, show us what we missed and help us learn the game even more. We appreciate everything he brings to this game – his mentality, his professionalism and that’s a big part of us, the way he comes to work every day. We look at it and we try to bring it into our lives and into our game. “
Their faith in each other underwent a remarkable turn. Horford was the oldest in the fraternity, which has formed the best basketball team in the last four months of the regular season. Their connection in defense was as indestructible as anything the league has seen since the last time the Celtics qualified for the finals in 2010 and the rising stars realized their potential. Tatum became the first All-NBA team, Smart was the Defender of the Year, and Brown received votes for both the All-NBA and the All-Defensive.
Equally important to Boston’s success, Horford was again Horford. Given the chance to resurrect his career with a list he helped build, they rose to each other to heights no one had imagined a year ago. They beat Kevin Durant’s Nets, beat Janice Adetokunmpo’s Bucks duel and, yes, beat Jimmy Butler’s Heat.
“I’ve been on a lot of great teams and I’m so proud of this group,” Horford said. “I’ve seen [Brown] enter the league, take steps, take levels. I’ve seen [Tatum], same thing. I’ve seen Smart grow. It’s just special to be with them and be able to help them and be a part of it. I am grateful to be in this position. “
All that remains to rise is the 18th banner of the franchise. Only three-time Golden State Warriors champion stands in the way of Horford’s legacy in the Hall of Fame and the full potential of the list, which is a mentor.
“Every athlete’s dream is to reach this last stage and have the opportunity,” said Smart. “I have been here for four years in the finals of the Eastern Conference and every year I am sent home. It feels really good and it’s really good for Jason and Jaylan. We’ve been together the longest – even Al, man. Al, I’m just happy for him. He plays all these games and spins his tail. He deserves it more than any of us. “
We so rarely see a second chance in sports or in life at all, but these Celtics use them the most.
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Ben Rohrbach is a full-time writer for Yahoo Sports. Do you have any advice? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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