Al Horford doesn’t believe Tuesday night’s 76ers-Celtics game boiled down to a battle of wills.
To anyone who watched Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between Boston and Philadelphia, it looked like the Sixers simply wanted it more than the C’s. Doc Rivers’ team played relentless defense, pulled down 13 more rebounds than the Celtics and never let the reigning East champions build any real level of momentum. Boston, meanwhile, looked lethargic and disinterested at various points of the pivotal matchup at TD Garden.
Horford, however, believes Philly’s 115-103 win simply was decided by shot-making, not a desire to come out on top.
“I’m not sure ‘wanting it more’ is the right thing to say,” Horford told reporters after Tuesday’s game, per The Boston Globe. “I think that we wanted it as well. I just give them credit. They were making shots. We weren’t making shots. I put a lot of that stuff on me. I wasn’t where I needed to be offensively and I feel like I hurt our group. We had our best intentions. We just couldn’t get it done.”
The Celtics will need to want it more Thursday night when they visit Wells Fargo Center for Game 6. If they don’t outmatch the Sixers in the energy department, their season likely will end well short of expectations.
