Al Reliable lifts Celtics, hands Cavaliers first loss

Who would have thought a 38-year-old not named LeBron would be the deciding factor in a massive (regular season) game between the Celtics and Cavaliers, let alone in a matchup against the only remaining undefeated team in the league coming into tonight?

In a battle between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, Al Horford made nearly every key play to help Boston come out victorious, and added a blemish to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ otherwise perfect record this season. Al’s impact really can’t be overstated. The guy just gets the job done when you need him most.

Horford finished the night with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 blocks, a monster stat-line. This was also Al’s season high for both points and blocks, and tied for his second highest rebounding output of the year. To make that line even more impressive, kindly direct your attention to his 7-of-11 shooting, with 4 of his 5 three-pointers finding the bottom of the net.

Cleveland’s new head coach, Kenny Atkinson, who also previously coached Al in Atlanta, definitely took notice of Al’s hot shooting, and made note of his growth across his career.

“It was an elite approach to every day. When I was around, I saw it every day… The shooting piece is incredible. Before he needed time to get it off. Now, he needs no time… It’s an incredible story. I love the guy. He’s the epitome of a professional.”

Al was second only to Tatum in points and rebounds for Boston, and led both teams in blocks, which is insane to think about when you look at Cleveland and see that Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen played tonight. For reference, both Mobley and Allen are top-20 in the league for blocks per game this year, Mobley averaging 1.5 and Allen at 1.2. And the two of them combined for less blocks than Al tonight. Bonkers.

Horford was also the team and game leader in plus/minus at +18 in a game which the Celtics won by 3. The minutes without him looked rough to say the least. Neemias Queta, the only other big to come off the bench tonight, finished the game with a plus/minus of -15.

And after all that, the stats don’t even do Horford’s performance justice.

More than anything, what Al brought to this game was life. He brought energy. He gave the Celtics everything they needed to hold their ground and weather the series of flurries the Cavs threw at them. Everything he did was so timely.

Jayson Tatum made note of Al’s impact on the team, saying, “Al is just a calming presence out there. He just does so many different things for us… We’re just a much better team when Al is out there and being aggressive.”

With a little under five minutes to play in a 5-point game, Darius Garland got Al Horford switched onto him and got him on his back as he drove to the rim. Horford doesn’t like getting picked on, so he elevated to meet Garland’s layup attempt at the apex. That rejection led to a Derrick White rebound and three, a 5-point swing thanks to Al.

The very next Cleveland possession, Evan Mobley tried to attack Al on the block off of a pocket pass by Garland. Al forced Mobley to go baseline under the basket, where he dropped it off to a cutting Georges Niang for what looked like an open layup. Al had other plans though, as he managed to turn around and get his hand up quickly enough to deny Niang and spark a fastbreak for the Celtics. White missed the three this time around, but again, a potential 5-point swing in an extremely tight game.

All of Al’s years of experience have taught him exactly when to turn it on. Joe Mazzulla called him “an innate competitor,” adding “he has an ability to inspire people around us.”

His performance reminded me of how he lifted the Celtics to close out the Cavaliers in Game 5 of the second round of the playoffs just last year. Al was again the second-highest scorer on the Celtics, and also led both teams in rebounds with a stat-line of 22 points, 15 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks on 8-15 shooting from the floor, 6-13 from three. If that wasn’t enough, he was also the team and game plus/minus leader at +26.

I think it’s safe to say he enjoys playing against Cleveland.

I can’t even begin to describe how lucky I feel to have Al Horford on my team. Like Mazzulla said, he’s just a pure competitor. He knows how to win, and he is always ready to step up for Boston. While the team will continue to manage his minutes throughout the season, it’s clear that he will still have a big impact on this team’s success.