The Boston Celtics’ defensive effort on NBA MVP Joel Embiid was the deciding factor in their Eastern Conference semifinals victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Boston fell behind in the series, 3-2, needing to win back-to-back games to punch its ticket to the Eastern Conference finals for the second consecutive season. In finishing out Game 6 and thrashing the Sixers in Game 7, the Celtics held Embiid to 21 total points on 24 attempts from the field across five quarters. The anchor of that clinic? Al Horford.
It was a herculean effort from the 36-year-old, who, despite facing an ill-timed shooting slump following his back-and-forth with a reporter early in the series, buckled down and played his role to perfection. The Celtics scratched almost all other responsibility from their veteran’s plate and gave him the toughest job on the floor. That’s probably why Robert Williams III paid him the ultimate compliment Wednesday prior to Game 1 against the Miami Heat.
“He a bad m-fer either way it goes,” Williams said, per CLNS Media. ” … He’s the OG.”
The leadership role that Horford has taken on, in addition to his stellar play defensively, has shown up in multiple spots. That much was on display in the Celtics’ first practice prior to the conference finals, when the veteran stopped things and told his teammates to tighten up. Which isn’t anything new, however.
“That’s all the time,” Williams said. “He’s always getting on our (expletive) when we need it. Even during losses, the losses we took to Philly, he’d sit us down and tell us, ‘Hey, we made our bed and we’ve gotta learn from it. We can’t run from it.’ He was telling us (Tuesday), there’s no assuming, you have to take everything seriously.”
Entering a series against the Heat, who have established one of the premier cultures in the NBA, Horford’s contributions could be felt on and off the floor. He should still provide that energy and effort that Boston has become accustomed to seeing, but his work in helping the Celtics shut down Bam Adebayo certainly won’t go unnoticed.
Who better to look to than the OG?
