MIAMI -- The Celtics need to look around their locker room and recognize not only the opportunity they have in front of them this evening in Miami, but the responsibility.
Teams are built on a foundation of family, where the majority of these 15 guys spend the majority of their year together. They work countless hours not just on the basketball we see, but on charitable responsibilities of a team and all the minutia around the organization. Between all this and the travel together on buses and planes, this really does become a brotherhood to these guys.
So forget the fans for a minute. Forget the media. Forget the owners. These guys need to look around the room and understand that they have a responsibility to their teammates -- and one teammate in particular.
Al Horford.
We’ve been inundated with graphics and discussion showing Horford having played the most games without a trip to the Finals. In the unfair world of sports, someone has to hold that distinction and if that's Horford’s lot in life, then he’ll have to live with it.
But he doesn’t have to, because he’s right there, on the doorstep, right now. He’s still one game away from getting to do the thing he has never done in his life: celebrate his birthday in a still-active NBA locker room because he’s playing for a championship.
The acquisition of Horford has meant the world to this team. It’s been Horford’s leadership on and off the floor that has helped push Boston to the heights the team has achieved. His defensive acumen is a big part of why the Celtics have been able to use some of the rotations they’ve used. His knowledge has raised the defensive games of his teammates, something Robert Williams has readily acknowledged on his way to a Second Team All-Defensive honor. His steady hand in the locker room has helped guide the Celtics through one of the most amazing turnarounds in league history.
“Al’s been great for the team, Al’s been great for me,” Jayson Tatum said during the Milwaukee series. “I’ve been fortunate enough to pay with Al for three years and I remember coming in my rookie year and seeing Al Horford. I’ve been seeing him play my whole life, and it was great to see somebody taking care of their body, just be the ultimate professional, the ultimate teammate, and just all about the right things. Nobody can ever say anything about Al, and he’s helped me a great deal in the three years we’ve played together. I’m very lucky and fortunate to be able to call Al a teammate.”
He has guarded Giannis Antetokounmpo effectively in the playoffs. He has been great on Bam Adebayo. He has won playoff games with his offense and with his defense.
There's no other way to say this. The Celtics aren’t here without Horford.
So it’s time for this Celtics team to do what it needs to do. Not just because a bunch of people in Dorchester or Derry or Danvers own jerseys, though it would obviously be nice for them, too. Yes, it would be nice for the team to have a chance at a duck boat parade and soak in the love from a sea of adoring fans.
But it’s mostly time for them to repay Horford for all he’s given them. He’s their “O.G.,” and this is his best chance at the Finals.
They blew an opportunity on Friday night. And while the core of this team is still in its mid-20’s with a lot of basketball left, Horford is in his mid 30’s and he’s well aware of how quickly things can change for him.
Those 20-something legs need to find a little something extra when they touch the floor at the FTX Arena. Those young hands need to hold onto the ball longer, and their brains need to guide them to good decisions on the floor.
Horford will be there, personal grief from the loss of his grandfather aside, doing whatever he can do to make this happen. The rest of the guys need to rise up and give the man Marcus Smart called “the best vet I’ve ever had” the trip to the NBA Finals he deserves.
Do it for Al Horford.
