SAN FRANCISCO – Al Horford doesn’t emit a lot of visible emotion. That’s been his style for 15 NBA seasons …
Al Horford doesn’t emit a lot of visible emotion. That’s been his style for 15 NBA seasons. Quiet, do-your-job type of player. His Boston Celtics teammates, however, are joyous that Horford finally reached the NBA Finals after reaching the conference final three previous times.
“Nobody deserves it more than this guy on my right here, man,” Jaylen Brown said after the Celtics defeated Miami in Game 7 of the East finals. “His energy, his demeanor, coming in every day, being a professional, taking care of his body, being a leader, I’m proud to be able to share this moment with a veteran, a mentor, a brother, a guy like Al Horford, man. He’s been great all season, really my whole career. I’m happy to be able to share this moment with somebody like him.”
The procession of superlatives continued as the Celtics arrived in San Francisco for the Finals.
“We were ecstatic for him,” Marcus Smart said. “Al is the OG, man. He puts in the work.”
Every player appreciates making the Finals, but you know how much a player is respected and revered when his teammates are more thrilled for him than themselves. That’s who Al Horford is to the Celtics. And of course, Horford appreciates his trek to the Finals.
“Just grateful for this opportunity,” he said. “It’s just going out there and playing basketball at the end of the day. That’s just what it is.… God has put me in this position, and it’s something that I embrace and I’m excited about. Just excited to be able to share this stage with these group of guys.
