SAN FRANCISCO — Al Horford, known over the course of 15 seasons for his calm and quiet leadership, has let his emotions out this postseason.
There he was again Thursday night, flexing and chest-thumping, rallying teammates and, at a just-turned 36, making many of the plays in a 41-16 fourth quarter run that gave the Celtics a 1-0 lead over Golden State in the NBA Finals.
He was 4 for 4 in the fourth, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 5:08 followed by — set up by his own steal — another bomb from the top of the circle. He ultimately scored eight straight points in the 17-0 run, then rebounded a Jaylen Brown miss and kicked out to Marcus Smart for the first of two 3s by the Celtics point guard.
“We were ecstatic for him,” Smart said. “Al is the OG, man. He puts in the work. Don’t nobody deserve to be here more than him. The way that he carries himself professionally, the professionalism he comes to this game with every day, we knew it was only a matter of time for him to have a big game, and continue to have a big game. That’s what he does. That’s what he’s been doing. He’s been that catalyst for us this whole year.
Horford has often talked about his second tour of duty with the Celtics as a second chance. The fact that he’s reached the Finals for the first time in his career is now part of a living dream.
“Phenomenal. That’s what we need,” Jaylen Brown said of Horford’s Game 1 presence down the stretch. “That’s what we want. We want that veteran leadership to carry us over. Al had a bunch of great looks. We encouraged him to keep taking them. He came out his first Finals game and played amazing. He carried us and led to a victory.”
Said Horford: “Just grateful for this opportunity. It’s just going out there and playing basketball at the end of the day. That’s just what it is. Just grateful to be in this position. God has put me in this position, and it’s something that I embrace and I’m excited about. Just excited to be able to share this stage with this group of guys. We have a lot of great guys here, guys that have really bought into what we’re trying to do. It’s just fun to see all that come together.”
Record fourth quarter
According to the stat genius, Dick Lipe, the Celtics set an NBA Finals record with that 41-16 fourth quarter, breaking the old winning margin of 23 points — set by the Celtics against the Hawks (40-15) in 1960, and tied by the 1982 Sixers with a 44-21 fourth against the Lakers.
Also from Lipe:
Before Game 1, the Celtics were 2-95 all time when trailing by 12+ at the start of the fourth quarter. Teams with a 12-plus point lead entering the fourth had been 140-2.
The Celtics’ 33 assists were the franchise’s most since Game 6 in 2008 against the Lakers. Tatum’s 13 assists were the most by a Celtics forward since Larry Bird had 13 in 1986 against Houston.
Magic Johnson, with 14 against Detroit in 1989, is the only player to have more assists in a Game 1. Bird and Dennis Johnson are the only other players on the list with 13.
The Celtics’ .767 assist percentage was their second-highest of postseason.
The rise of White
Derrick White’s fourth quarter, like that of Horford, was pivotal. The guard buried two of his five 3-pointers down the stretch, and overall helped the Celtics get through some of their sticker moments with 5-for-8 overall 3-point shooting.
He’s shot 11 for 18 from deep over the last three games, and continues to be a seamless fit for Ime Udoka.
And when the Warriors spotted White some room in an attempt to help on Jayson Tatum, he made the most of his open looks.
“I kind of figured they would guard me like that going into the series. They guarded me like that last time we played them,” he said. “I missed my first two, but they felt great so I just stayed confident. Teammates and coaches have always told me to stay confident. It’s good to see that one go down, and just got on a roll from there.”
