Of all the great moments during and after the Celtics’ Game 7 win over the Heat on Sunday, one stands above the rest.
It was the image of Al Horford, just a few seconds after launching the ball into the air at the final buzzer, dropping to his hands and knees and letting out a primal celebratory scream.
It is hard to imagine everything Horford was feeling and thinking in that moment. There is the basketball side of it, of course. The 35-year-old (turning 36 on Friday) had played 141 career playoff games across 15 seasons, the most anyone had ever played without going to the NBA Finals. Now he’s finally going.
There is also the human side of it. Horford lost his grandfather, whom he was very close to, on Thursday.
“It’s been difficult for me and my family,” Horford said after the game. “My grandfather was someone I was extremely close with, that I really cared for. All week, my mom, my family just kind of telling me to just go out there and play. You know, that’s something he would’ve wanted me to do, to just continue on, and really just try to stay focused and understand that he’s at peace now.”
A lot of those emotions, probably coming from both angles, came pouring out once the final buzzer sounded and the celebrations began.
“I just didn’t know how to act,” Horford said of his celebration. “Just caught up, excited. A lot of hard work.”
It’s been a lot of hard work for Horford not just this season, but throughout his career. Perhaps nothing better exemplifies that than his mid-career development of a three-point shot. Through his first eight NBA seasons, Horford made a total of 21 threes. Over his last seven, he has made an average of 84 threes per season. He has hit 43.2% of his threes during this playoff run.
The last few years have not been easy for Horford. In 2019, he opted out of his Celtics contract to sign a bigger deal with Philadelphia. He was never a good fit with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and company, though, and that 76ers team got swept by Boston in the first round.
After one season, the Sixers traded Horford to Oklahoma City in what was essentially a salary dump. The rebuilding Thunder didn’t have much use for Horford on the court, and wound up sitting him for the final two months of the season as they focused on developing younger players instead.
Brad Stevens’ first big move after taking over for Danny Ainge last offseason was to reacquire Horford, although at the time the more important part of the trade was getting out of Kemba Walker’s contract. Given the way the previous two years had gone, there were no guarantees about what the Celtics were actually going to get from Horford this time around.
As it turns out, they’ve gotten an awful lot. Horford has been a valuable starter and veteran leader all season long. He is third on the team in minutes this postseason behind only Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. He has been their best player at times, most notably in a 30-point performance in Game 4 against Milwaukee. When he missed Game 1 against Miami, the Celtics struggled to overcome his absence.
Horford didn’t score much in Sunday’s Game 7 -- just five points -- but he still made a big impact with 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in 44 minutes. He finished a team-best plus-10.
“Nobody deserves it more than this guy on my right right here, man,” Brown said of Horford during their postgame press conference. “Just his energy, his demeanor, coming in every day, being a professional, taking care of his body, being a leader. I’m proud to be able to share this moment with, you know, a veteran, a mentor, a brother, a guy like Al Horford. He’s been great all season, and really my whole career. So I’m happy to be able to share this moment with somebody like him.”
Horford, for his part, sounded like the proud papa after the game. In many ways, that’s exactly what he is for this group.
“I’ve been part of a lot of great teams. A lot of great teammates. I’m so proud of this group, these guys,” Horford said. “I’ve seen JB come into the league, take steps, take levels. I’ve seen JT, the same thing. I’ve seen Smart grow. For me, it’s just special to be with them and be able to help them and be a part of this. So I’m really grateful to be in this position.”
If all that wasn’t enough, Horford has another reason to be proud: He will be the first player from the Dominican Republic to play in the NBA Finals. If other moments Sunday night brought Horford to his hands and knees, being asked about this brought out the biggest smile.
“I’m very, very grateful. Very, very excited,” he said. “We’re here in Miami, very close to D.R. I know my family’s happy, everybody’s happy, everybody’s watching, the country was watching. I know everybody was there. They were sending me pictures, they were ready for this, and we’re enjoying this one.”
There is more work to be done. Just making the NBA Finals is not the Celtics’ goal. But if anyone deserved a few moments to enjoy this win, it was Horford.
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