You’d think the city of Philadelphia would have figured this out by now.
Still harboring a misguided grudge, Sixers fans have neither learned to move on from blaming Al Horford for their team’s failures four seasons ago, nor to stop antagonizing him whenever he’s in town.
Once again, Horford, maybe the nicest human being to pull an NBA jersey over his head, was the target of Philadelphia rage. And once again, Horford soaked it in and used it to best Joel Embiid.
“I just love it, man,” Horford said after the game through a big smile. “When I hear that talk, it just kind of gives you a little extra, so I appreciate them. They always do that in that corner here in Philly. I don’t know what it is.”
Maybe it’s genetics. Maybe it’s just a mix of early sunset, cheese wiz, and warm Yuengling that just keeps people in a state of constant agitation. Whatever it is, it isn't working for them.
But it’s great for Horford. He’s two more wins away from bottling the Philly sports tears and marketing it as an energy drink.
“Al is amazing,” said potential customer Derrick White. “I'm just thankful to be his teammate … Every time he's out on the floor, he makes big plays for us and it's great to see him make some shots here tonight. I just love to watch the way he works day in and day out.”
The work is what makes Horford who he is. If it wasn’t for LeBron James, who may not be of this earth, Horford would be setting a strong example of playing effectively into his late 30s.
Why is he able to go face-to-face with the reigning MVP, and block him twice? Why is he denying the electrifying Tyrese Maxey on a pivotal drive that could have made it a two-point game? Why is he diving on the floor after his fifth block of the game, saving a possession for his team with 95 seconds to go, effectively closing the door on the Sixers?
It’s the work. Years of it. It’s a career full of respecting himself and the game, so much so that it’s been making an impression on Jayson Tatum since his rookie year.
“He was never late, always on time, always getting his work in at the gym, always taking care of his body,” Tatum said. “I learned a lot from him from a routine standpoint.”
Tatum isn’t shy about calling Horford his favorite teammate that he’s had. They sit next to each other on the team plane. Horford is constantly making sure Tatum is good, constantly asking how he’s feeling.
Horford is a leader. Yeah, the legs aren’t there the way they used to be, but he can still turn it up when he needs to. Just ask Donte DiVincenzo, who played traffic cone as Horford drove by him for a baseline dunk Monday night. Just ask those Sixers fans who caught the death glare from him after four huge 3-pointers. Just ask his teammates, who aren’t surprised by any of this.
“We all believe in him and the work that he puts in,” Tatum said. “Sometimes you make shots, sometimes you don’t, but his level of being poised, his intensity on defense still this late in his career, the way he talks to guys on the court. We benefit greatly from having Al on our team.”
Horford is a winner in almost every sense of the word. However, if there’s one thing he’d like to erase more than those five shots in Philadelphia Wednesday night, it’s the word “almost” from that last sentence. The only way to do that is win a championship.
And that's why he’s taken the step of going to the bench without a single objection. It’s unfamiliar territory not seen since four seasons ago in Philadelphia.
That was such a funny season. No one has a bad thing to say about Horford except people in Philly, which says more about those people than it does about Horford. He is bending over backwards for Boston, and has always done what’s asked of him for the betterment of the team. Yet somehow, he’s the one to blame in Philadelphia?
Keep telling yourselves that, Philadelphians. Keep telling him that, too. Because the truth is Horford is better than whatever the Sixers were trying to do then, and he’s better than whatever they're trying to do now.
“The most inspiring thing for me as a coach is to watch him,” Joe Mazzulla said. “One, he’s two years older than me, so I get to coach a guy that's older than me. That's fun.
“Secondly, he's one of the most selfless, humble people that you have, and literally, he will do anything to win. And we can't do what we do as a team if you don't have a guy like that at the top.”
