‘Just how I saw it’: Al Horford is an NBA champion

Heading into Monday’s Game 5, Al Horford had played 185 playoff games without winning an NBA championship, trailing only Karl Malone for the most all-time at 193.

His 186th resulted in the elusive title.

That’s right, after sixteen seasons, Horford is a champion.

“It’s been long — a lot of hard work, but I’m so proud to be a part of this team,” he told Lisa Salters following Game 5. “I can’t believe it. I still can’t believe it. We did it. We’re here. I still can’t believe it. This is just how I pictured it here at The Garden with our fans, everybody together, this is just how I saw it eight years ago.”

He’s earned it over those eight years — that’s for sure.

This run wasn’t one in which Big Al spent most of his time watching from the sidelines like most players of his age would. Instead, he played a big role, probably bigger than he had expected going into the playoffs.

Once Kristaps Porzingis went down with a soleus strain in the first round, the 38-year-old was asked to step into the starting lineup and take on the lion’s share of minutes at center.

Not only did Horford take on more playing time, but he thrived in them. He put together signature performances in both Game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and in Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers.

Horford’s 22-point, 15-rebound outing in the closeout win over the Cavs started with his effort on the defensive side of the ball. He carried that to the other end, lighting a spark in the team’s offense at the end of the first half with a pair of threes.

He brought the building to its feet when he made a loud save of the ball by throwing it off of Dean Wade.

His two-way excellence brought the home crowd to life after it had been pretty mum for the playoff run up to that point. Perhaps the loudest moment of the night came when Horford drilled his sixth three to give the Cs a 17-point lead with less than a minute to play.

Following the closeout victory, Horford credited his special connection with the home crowd for fueling him and the team.

“It’s special when you’re here at the Garden,” he said. “This is something I just don’t take for granted. The energy of the fans. Our fans, they love the Celtics. They want us to play hard, they want us to play the right way. And I just felt very connected with them tonight, with the way that we were playing, that we got it going.”

In the following round, Horford once again had his fingerprints all over a key win.

Boston found themselves down 18 points to the Pacers on the road in Game 3, but Horford never wavered. As the team struggled to find offense in the first half, he remained steady and converted on several open threes to help the Cs hang around.

He helped kickstart the team’s comeback with a massive block on Obi Toppin towards the end of the third quarter. It was a stretch of the game where it was evident that something had changed in the Celtics’ energy, specifically on defense.

Boston used that to their advantage and chipped away at the hosts’ lead. Once they were within striking distance, Horford was someone that they leaned on for big buckets and he delivered. All eight of his fourth-quarter points were LOUD, including a corner three that cut the Pacers’ lead to just two points with just over a minute remaining.

Of course, we can’t overlook the amount of impact he made in the Finals, specifically working to slow down Luka Doncic, all while being consistently targeted as a defender. Dallas worked endlessly to have him switched onto Luka, and it didn’t quite work how they’d hoped.

Horford’s size, discipline, and mobility allowed for him to hold his ground against the crafty Slovenian.

When it’s all said and done, Horford’s legacy as a Celtic will span far past this championship run. It could even result in his No. 42 hanging high above the parquet at TD Garden.

Way back in the summer of 2016, Horford became the first big-name free agent to sign in Boston in quite some time.

“It was crazy because during free agency meetings in 2016, my agent and I, Jason Glushon, were both sitting in the meeting, and we just kept looking at this enormous ring in Wyc’s hand,” he said after Game 5. “And after the meeting we were like, Did you notice that? That’s the attention. Man, I never forget what Danny Ainge told me in that meeting. He said, “You can win championships in many places, but there’s nothing like winning in Boston. Nothing like winning as a Celtic. And that stuck with me from that meeting. I was like, man, I’m trying to be great, and that’s what I want.”

In today’s world of contract extensions and trade requests, free agency doesn’t hold the same weight as it used to.

I can assure you, back in the day, this was a big deal.

It was such a big deal that I can remember where I was when I heard the news of him joining the Cs. I was working as a busboy at a restaurant down the street from my house and was sneaking into the bathroom to check my phone throughout my shift.

On the day of his signing, Horford tweeted out a simple message for Celtics fans.

The 18 shamrocks that accompanied “Celtic Pride!!!!!!” let everyone know that he understood the ultimate goal right from the get-go.

In his first stint with the Cs, Al helped the team reach two Eastern Conference Finals and was named to an All-Star team in 2018, as well as that season’s All-Defensive Second Team.

That 2018 season was a special one. Horford helped the Celtics put together an improbable run to the conference finals while both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward were sidelined with injuries.

His selfless playstyle was contagious with the remainder of the roster, also featuring a young Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and helped raise the team’s play to another level.

He was, and has continued to be, someone who embodies what it means to be a Celtic — winning, putting in the work to do so, and playing an unselfish brand of basketball.

All of these characteristics made it all the more shocking when he left the team in 2019 to join the rival Philadelphia 76ers.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

The funny part about this move is that it didn’t seem like something Horford even wanted. During a 2019 sitdown with Steve Bulpett, he explained his thought process when leaving, citing chemistry issues as a driving force. The thing is, he felt it would’ve been “different” if he had known that Kemba Walker would’ve been coming to town.

“I’m not sure that has anything to do with it for me,” Horford said. “I just think that if Kyrie would have stayed, I don’t know if it would have worked. There would have had to be some major changes as far as players, because it was just clear that the group that we had just wasn’t going to be able to coexist.”

And what about if he’d known Kemba Walker was coming. Horford paused.

“I don’t want to get caught up in the past,” he said, “but, yeah, that would have been totally different.”

Horford’s time in Philly was short. He never quite found a fit next to Joel Embiid and wound up serving as the team’s backup center by the time the playoffs rolled around.

It had a feeling similar to the episode of “Spongebob Squarepants” where Spongebob was traded to the Chum Bucket, even though his heart remained at the Krusty Krab.

Ironically enough, his last game as a 76er, before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, was a loss to Boston in a first-round sweep.

A year later, he was dealt back to the Cs. It was a moment that caused the big man to “scream with joy” while riding with his family, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.

Horford screamed with joy in the car, as did his wife and kids. The news soon broke: The Celtics were trading guard Kemba Walker and a first-round pick to the Thunder for Horford. (The Thunder also sent center Moses Brown to Boston, and the two teams swapped future second-round picks.)

Horford brought the same level of excellence to the Celtics in his second stint.

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

He was part of one of the greatest in-season turnarounds that the NBA has ever seen. Boston had a record of 18-21 in January but managed to lose just 10 of their final 43 games en route to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010.

That trip to the Finals was Horford’s first, despite spending 14 seasons in the league.

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Boston fans were overcome with joy watching the big man achieve a goal that he’d been striving for for so long.

Unfortunately, the Cs weren’t able to get Horford his first title that year, despite his best efforts.

The big man averaged 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 60% from beyond the arc.

He was absolute nails — as he always is.

“The bottom line is, we are much better because Al Horford is on our team, and everybody in the room is better because Al Horford is on the team,” Stevens told Holmes earlier this month. “That’s the most important thing. He raises all ships. That’s just the way he’s always been. We don’t take that for granted. We know how important he is.”

Following that run to the Finals, Al signed a two-year, $20 million contract extension to remain in Boston through the 2024-25 season. The team-friendly deal has enabled Brad Stevens to assemble the championship-level roster that we all watched this season.

Hopefully, that standard will be upheld next season.

Throughout his time in Boston, Horford has been someone who the fanbase has gravitated toward — and that love is mutual.

“When you are fortunate enough to play for the Boston Celtics, you quickly realize that it’s more than just the team that you’re representing and the things that you’re trying to do,” Horford told reporters before Game 4 of this Finals.

Now, after years of striving towards it, Horford has helped Boston capture an elusive 18th NBA Championship, fully cementing himself in Celtic lore.