Al Horford remained Celtics’ unsung hero in Game 1 of NBA Finals. Can he keep it up in Game 2?
Horford was arguably the Celtics' best defender on Luka Doncic in Game 1.
Kristaps Porzingis’s return from injury received much of the limelight following Game 1, but the Celtics continued to get strong minutes out of their other standout big in their 107-89 win over the Mavericks to open the NBA Finals.
Al Horford had a relatively modest stat line in Thursday’s win, scoring 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and going 2-for-5 on 3-pointers. He also added seven rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes, starting for the 11th straight game as the Celtics opted to bring Porzingis off the bench.
Joe Mazzulla’s move to bring Porzingis off the bench and keep Horford in the starting lineup for the 11th straight game paid dividends though, because of the things the 38-year-old did that weren’t seen on the box score. The Mavericks had trouble scoring on Horford all night long, shooting just 5 of 18 from the field (26.3 percent) and 1 of 6 from deep (16.6 percent) when he was the primary defender, per NBA.com’s tracking stats.
Horford more than held his own, too, when Luka Doncic hunted him out in switches. The Mavericks star shot just 1 of 8 from the field, missing all four 3-pointers when Horford was on him. Horford also blocked a step-back 3-pointer form Doncic in the midst of Dallas’ run to cut Boston’s lead to eight in the third quarter.
Doncic was still able to put up points in Game 1, scoring 30. But he did it on unimpressive efficiency (12-of-26 shooting from the field, 4-of-12 shooting from deep) as he also had a playoff-career-low one assist to four turnovers. He credited the Celtics’ individual defense for slowing down his playmaking ability.
“They mostly play one-on-one,” Doncic told reporters.
Doncic wasn’t the only Mavericks star who wasn’t efficient against Horford. Kyrie Irving shot 2 of 5 from the field when he got the Celtics’ veteran big on him in Thursday’s game, getting a 10-foot shot blocked by him as he had two blocks in Game 1.
Horford’s ability to guard all five positions at a solid level has allowed the Celtics to be a team that switches defensive assignments on picks a lot in the last few seasons. It also gives them lineup flexibility, with Mazzulla putting him at center when the Mavericks went with a small-ball lineup in the final minutes of the third quarter. The Celtics’ lead went from 11 to 20 over that two-plus-minute stretch.
“Everyone was really locked in on the defensive end,” Horford told reporters of the Celtics’ performance in Game 1. “The things that we needed to do, we just wanted to be very solid throughout. [Porzingis] got to an unbelievable place there early in the first half, in the first quarter, and I just felt like it really got us going and took us to another level as a team. That was huge for us.”
The Celtics are now looking forward to Game 2, with the big question being whether they’ll keep Horford in the starting lineup for Sunday’s game. Horford’s certainly made a strong case to remain in the starting lineup even with Porzingis playing as well as he has. He’s averaging 10.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game since he’s been in the starting lineup. The Celtics have also outscored opponents by nine points and have gone 10-1 in the games Horford’s started.
Of course, a big argument for whether Horford should remain in the starting lineup or not is if you feel he can replicate his defensive performance on Doncic from Game 1 in Game 2. Doncic has been at his best following losses this postseason, scoring 32.6 points per game on 53 percent over five such games.
But Horford’s defensive performance this season suggests that Game 1 might not be a fluke. Opponents have shot 45.7 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from deep when Horford’s been the primary defender this postseason, per NBA.com’s tracking data. Doncic also scored eight points on just 3 of 10 shooting when Horford was guarding him over the two regular-season matchups.
Additionally, Porzingis didn’t have his best showing when guarding Doncic in Game 1. The Mavericks star scored 13 points, shooting 5 of 7 from the field and 3 of 4 from deep, when his former teammate was on him, per NBA.com’s tracking data.
Regardless of what the Celtics decide to do with their big men in Game 2, Jayson Tatum is grateful to have Horford on his side.
“Al has stepped up into that starting role and at this stage in his career being a, you know, centerpiece of us getting to The Finals is something that shouldn’t be overlooked,” Tatum said after Game 1. “His presence out there on both ends of the floor, what he allows us to do offensively, dragging out the big men. We have had playoff games where Al has hit six, seven 3s. Even if he doesn’t, you have to, the other team has to respect him as a shooter, so it just helps with our spacing.
“So, can’t give Al enough credit for the impact that he’s had on this playoff run.”
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