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Has the Al Horford return that the Boston Celtics need?

Eugenio MirandaMay 24, 2023, 8:41 PMReading: 2 min.

The Dominican center again exceeded 25 minutes of action and was accurate from long distance

With their postseason berth on the line, the Boston Celtics came away with a different attitude to face the Miami Heat on Tuesday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Precisely with a different attitude Al Horford faced the game that could have meant goodbye to a good season in the regular phase but that has left much to be desired in the matchup in front of Jimmy Butler and company.

And while many will point to Joe Mazzulla as the big culprit if the Celtics fail to get past this phase (only 58 teams out of 150 that went down 0-3 in a series avoided the sweep), others will also look to Horford’s figure.

Megan Briggs/Getty Images.

The Dominican had his best game of the series, and perhaps his best since Game 4 in the conference semifinals against the 76ers, and it is no coincidence that the Celtics stay alive to, at least, play one more time. .

Horford had a differential of +23 against the Heat in Game 4 while on the court, the most for Boston, and hit three 3-pointers in the first half, the same number he had made in the previous three games combined.

The Dominican’s long-range shooting is key to the Celtics’ aspirations, as it has been all season, especially when the Heat’s defense tries to contain Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown by double-teaming as they have done before.

Horford saw just 18 minutes in Game 3 of the series, the fewest in a postseason game since 2009, and despite committing five personal fouls he easily surpassed that action with 25 minutes in Game 4.

The Dominican was also more motivated defensively and although we know that the performances of Tatum, Brown and Marcus Smart are essential for the Celtics to keep the series alive, it is no less true that Horford must play a key role to try.

No team has come back from a 0-3 deficit in a postseason series. Difficult? Yes. Extremely. Impossible? Nothing is.

You can live all the action of the NBA, the Celtics and Al Horford in Latin America on Star+.

2023-05-25 00:55:53
#Horford #return #Boston #Celtics

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