Al Horford: The Centerpiece on the Path to the Finals

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Al Horford: “Centerpiece on our way to the finals”

In Game 1 of the Finals, Porzingis was finally back and dominated the headlines thanks to his spectacular comeback with 20 points in 21 minutes. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla wisely decided to keep Horford in the starting five. Leading player Not only did he open the series with a thunderous dunk, he also hit two three-pointers and had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in 30 minutes of play.

If you believe the – sometimes somewhat unreliable – tracking data from nba.com, the Mavericks looked very old against the defense of the agile big man. Luka Doncic, for example, only made one of eight shots against defender Horford, and the Mavs ended the game with a total of 5/18. The highlights were definitely undisputed: Horford blocked both a stepback three-pointer from Doncic and a short jumper from Kyrie Irving.

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Understandably, his teammates were full of praise afterwards: “The fact that he was a key part of our path to the finals at this stage of his career should not be overlooked,” stressed Tatum. Horford draws the opposing centers away from his own basket and is important even when the three-pointer doesn’t fall: “You can’t praise Al enough for his influence on our playoff run.”

Such performances are made possible by an unbroken focus on fitness and physical performance – and Horford did not start doing this until the late autumn of his career. In his second year in the NBA, he got his own chef and, in his 20s, he was already getting tips and tricks from NBA greats such as Manu Ginobili and Vince Carter, who had performed at a high level until their 40s. Of course, Horford also tapped into LeBron’s brain, but he did not limit himself to basketball: Cristiano Ronaldo’s approach was examined, and of course that of quarterback luminary Tom Brady and his TB12 method. “They all preach similar things: get treatment, stay longer after training, be fully committed,” he explained. The consequence: he has no days off.

2024-06-09 06:00:00
#Heart #title #Horford #irreplaceable #Boston #Celtics