If the Boston Celtics win an NBA championship, Al Horford's Game 4 performance will live in Boston sports lore until the east coast breaks off into the Atlantic Ocean, or climate change really sinks its teeth into this planet. Without him on Monday night, the Celtics were down 3-1 to the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, and instead returned to Boston with an even series and regained home court advantage. Horford's performance is the only thing that is possible. He had a playoff career high 30 points and 16 of them came in the fourth quarter, including two monster 3-point shots, the last of which would give the Celtics a lead late in the fourth quarter. When Horford has been at his best for the Celtics, it has been on the defensive side of the ball. Horford has been able to hold Antetokounmpo to less than 30 percent from the field. Horford had a career night on Monday, but it was also a statistical outlier. He is a five-time NBA All-Star and has a basketball reference page. He has never averaged more than 19 points per game in a season. He has only averaged double-digit rebound once in his career and has been named to that same number of All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. He averaged less points per game than Joakim Noah and was never a consensus All-American, but Horford would be the No.
The NBA players, media, and fans would find out later. Horford is the type of player that will always make a difference because of his steady presence and basketball IQ.
He went to the Atlanta Hawks and made an immediate impact after the Florida team won back-to-back college national titles. Smith and Joe had already been there for two seasons when Horford was drafted, but hadn't done much to get the Hawks out of their rut. The Hawks made the playoffs during Horford's first year, but also took the Celtics to seven games in the first round.
During Horford's time with the Hawks, they never missed the playoffs. The Hawks were a winner for the first time in 50 years when they won 50 games at The Omni and the Georgia Dome. Josh Smith failing to be the first player to get into the 3-point era five years early was frustrating, but the person who held it together was Horford. He was their rock on offense and defense in both the high and low posts. What if he didn't put up the numbers? He scored on an offensive rebound to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead against the Wizards in the playoffs in 2015, which helped propel the team to its first conference finals appearance since it was in St. Louis. Until Trae Young's performance in the playoffs last year, it was the biggest play in the history of the Atlanta Hawks.
Horford was with the Hawks last season. He signed a contract with the Celtics, where he would completely change his game. It was in Boston where his defense would become nationally recognized for him putting a young Embiid on punishment every time the Celtics played the 76ers, and still being able to switch on the perimeter when necessary. The Celtics needed more space in the paint for their offense to work, but he could still do what he did with the Hawks.
In four seasons with the Celtics, Horford averaged more than half a 3-point attempt per game, but he only shoots them at 37 percent. Something he tried for one season in Atlanta would be crucial to help the Celtics to consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances against Cleveland and James.
After two years away in Philadelphia and Oklahoma City, the Celtics brought Horford back to their lineup with young NBA All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The Celtics have been the best team in the league since January, and are currently in a dog fight with the Bucks. Since the turn of the year, the Celtics have been led most of the time by Tatum and Brown, but Horford was the one who got them through a road game they needed to win.
When his career is over, how he is remembered will depend on where a person lives and how big of a basketball fan they are. He will be remembered by people in Atlanta and Boston for the rest of their lives. For basketball fans, he will be remembered as the clear-cut best player of one of the best college basketball teams of all time, and being worthy of all the pre-draft hype. He has won basketball for 15 seasons, 18 if you count his time at Florida, but he has not made a lot of viral plays, or been a statistical monster in the NBA.
The Basketball Hall of Fame is not limited to professional careers. He is one of the faces of men's college basketball, and his last reign of dominance is a historic achievement. He has five NBA All-Star appearances and was a key contributor on competitive teams for the majority of his career.
If he doesn't get there, he will have the respect of those who worked with him for two decades. Horford may not have been a 20 or 10 guy, but if you have watched him play since he was on standard def, you know what you saw.
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