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Doubt that this will continue but how surprised are you that Horford has been able to do this well (with help for a great scheme) vs. Giannis?

Horford is just a beast.

Best deal in the offseason was the Horford-Kemba one

Honestly, don't know what I was expecting. Al Horford had done a good job on Joel Embiid in the past, so I guess I did think it was within the realm of possibility. I think perhaps I could have also thought Giannis' more perimeter based game might allow him to get Horford's feet off-balance a bit. Horford had done well in the past, but he was younger too...

Such stats always are meaningless without context... not in this case. Giannis really struggles against Horford and usually you need a whole team guarding Giannis, but Celtics can work with Horford on him with as little help as possible actually. Giannis can't score on him at all and unlike in game 1, he didn't impact the game with his passing and off-ball movement. I think he clearly got frustrated and tried to prove that he can beat Horford. He should stop trying that as quickly as possible

Horford absolutely clamped KD all last round too even though Tatum gets most of the shine. Horford and Grant Williams are an embarrassment of riches when trying to guard big men and having Timelord to defend the rim just makes it even more nuts.

When are people going to talk about Al Horford as one of the best defenders this generation?

From the game thread…

th87 wrote:

ajones9219 wrote:Just popped into the Bucks board and couldn't believe my eyes. You guys really think Giannis gets bad whistles? lmao

Yeah because geriatric Horford is legitimately forcing Giannis to miss layups. Nothing weird there.

Al gets no respect because people thought he was washed because he was misused in Philly

Ιf you're thinking "oh cool let me grab Horford this summer and we got Giannis sorted", it's not that simple. You need the rest of the defence too.
And the coach.

Any Celtics (and Hawks) fan aren't really surprised that he's doing well. He's not a lockdown defender by any means and he doesn't swat shots into the 3rd row, but he's just so smart on that end that he makes life tough for any player he's assigned to guard. You can't bully him down low because he's strong as an ox, and it's hard to blow past him if you're a guard because he moves his feet and reads your moves really well. That's why it was so surprising that the Sixers never figured out how to use him when they had him, lol. It really just seemed like they wanted to eliminate the possibility of facing him again in the playoffs because of his reputation as an Embiid stopper lol.

What's surprising right now is that he's still performing at a high level at 35. He seriously looks and moves the same way he did when he came to the Celtics in 2016, maybe even better. If the Celtics had him instead of freaking Theis as their starting center in the bubble, they would've made the finals. I doubt Bam would've dominated the way he did against us. He just has this amazing blend of strength, quickness, long arms, shooting, passable post-up game, and high basketball IQ that just makes him so valuable. It's why Brad Stevens overpaid to get him back in green; it was a mistake to let him go in the first place.

Whys horford so much better as Celtic ( unless he’s playing Tristan Thompson )

Dupp wrote:Whys horford so much better as Celtic ( unless he’s playing Tristan Thompson )

Cause they cover space and help instead of leaving him on an island

Ill News wrote:Any Celtics (and Hawks) fan aren't really surprised that he's doing well. He's not a lockdown defender by any means and he doesn't swat shots into the 3rd row, but he's just so smart on that end that he makes life tough for any player he's assigned to guard. You can't bully him down low because he's strong as an ox, and it's hard to blow past him if you're a guard because he moves his feet and reads your moves really well. That's why it was so surprising that the Sixers never figured out how to use him when they had him, lol. It really just seemed like they wanted to eliminate the possibility of facing him again in the playoffs because of his reputation as an Embiid stopper lol.

What's surprising right now is that he's still performing at a high level at 35. He seriously looks and moves the same way he did when he came to the Celtics in 2016, maybe even better. If the Celtics had him instead of freaking Theis as their starting center in the bubble, they would've made the finals. I doubt Bam would've dominated the way he did against us. He just has this amazing blend of strength, quickness, long arms, shooting, passable post-up game, and high basketball IQ that just makes him so valuable. It's why Brad Stevens overpaid to get him back in green; it was a mistake to let him go in the first place.

Eh not sure Brad overpaid to get him back specifically. They had to unload Kemba's deal to get through the payroll situation and OKC with Horford was really the only match. I think they sort of lucked out there more than anything else.

Agree with everything else though. Such an underrated player. True all around stud.

hugepatsfan wrote:

Ill News wrote:Any Celtics (and Hawks) fan aren't really surprised that he's doing well. He's not a lockdown defender by any means and he doesn't swat shots into the 3rd row, but he's just so smart on that end that he makes life tough for any player he's assigned to guard. You can't bully him down low because he's strong as an ox, and it's hard to blow past him if you're a guard because he moves his feet and reads your moves really well. That's why it was so surprising that the Sixers never figured out how to use him when they had him, lol. It really just seemed like they wanted to eliminate the possibility of facing him again in the playoffs because of his reputation as an Embiid stopper lol.

What's surprising right now is that he's still performing at a high level at 35. He seriously looks and moves the same way he did when he came to the Celtics in 2016, maybe even better. If the Celtics had him instead of freaking Theis as their starting center in the bubble, they would've made the finals. I doubt Bam would've dominated the way he did against us. He just has this amazing blend of strength, quickness, long arms, shooting, passable post-up game, and high basketball IQ that just makes him so valuable. It's why Brad Stevens overpaid to get him back in green; it was a mistake to let him go in the first place.

Eh not sure Brad overpaid to get him back specifically. They had to unload Kemba's deal to get through the payroll situation and OKC with Horford was really the only match. I think they sort of lucked out there more than anything else.

Agree with everything else though. Such an underrated player. True all around stud.

People saw it as an overpay before because he had to attach the #16 pick, which turned into Sengun. It looked like a head-scratching move because Al is not getting any younger, and there are serious concerns on whether he could still play at an elite level.

Well, it turns out all he really needs is to return to Boston to rejuvenate himself. Even if he declines next year, I think this gamble by Brad has already been worth it. He is a huge part of why the Celtics became the best team in the league since the turn of the year. Plus it got us out of the Kemba contract as you said, which is another massive win.

homecourtloss wrote:Doubt that this will continue but how surprised are you that Horford has been able to do this well (with help for a great scheme) vs. Giannis?

All the data indicated he was the best defender this year for the celtics...not the two guys getting DPOY votes, so really doesn't surprise me. Horford has been consistently one of the most impactful players in the league for the last decade that nobody ever gave credit to. Put him in a system that works, with player who can support it, and don't put him on someone too much faster than him and he's going to excel.

If he gets past Horford, he potentially has to go through Bam next… who is another guy that has the rare size/ability to defend Giannis.

Al defended the most perimeter possessions in the nba this season and did so effectively.

He’s a **** monster laterally and isn’t easy to body up. You need to be a quick very good shooter to beat him consistently and even then it’s tough.

If you’re surprised you haven’t watched him much.

Let the series play out though
Back in 18/19 It wasn't the same but it wasn't entirely different either. A younger Giannis (with Middleton) against younger Horford and younger JT/JB/Theis/Aron Baynes/Marcus Morris and a similar defensive system with a wall etc. It started well for Horf but it didn't end well. Giannis usually takes some time in a series to figure it out, lets see how he goes this time.

I will say tho, Horford somehow looked older then than he does now. Can't explain it but hats off for keeping himself in such shape.

AussieCeltic wrote:From the game thread…

th87 wrote:

ajones9219 wrote:Just popped into the Bucks board and couldn't believe my eyes. You guys really think Giannis gets bad whistles? lmao

Yeah because geriatric Horford is legitimately forcing Giannis to miss layups. Nothing weird there.

Al gets no respect because people thought he was washed because he was misused in Philly

Giannis made him look washed 3 calendar years ago.

His "resurgence" is due to the fact that obvious fouls like the below are touted as "beautiful defense":

70sFan wrote:Such stats always are meaningless without context... not in this case. Giannis really struggles against Horford and usually you need a whole team guarding Giannis, but Celtics can work with Horford on him with as little help as possible actually. Giannis can't score on him at all and unlike in game 1, he didn't impact the game with his passing and off-ball movement. I think he clearly got frustrated and tried to prove that he can beat Horford. He should stop trying that as quickly as possible

Suggest you rewatch highlights from the 2019 series. Giannis absolutely destroyed him.

th87 wrote:

AussieCeltic wrote:From the game thread…

th87 wrote:
Yeah because geriatric Horford is legitimately forcing Giannis to miss layups. Nothing weird there.

Al gets no respect because people thought he was washed because he was misused in Philly

Giannis made him look washed 3 calendar years ago.

His "resurgence" is due to the fact that obvious fouls like the below are touted as "beautiful defense":

Read on Twitter

You must be a bucks fan. That's a baby foul at best. Something I wouldn't even bring up for my favorite player. I would look at him as soft if that's all I could manage to produce