MIAMI — A potentially seismic shift hit the Eastern Conference finals less than three hours prior to Tuesday night’s start of Game 1 at FTX Arena, when the Boston Celtics announced that forward Al Horford had entered NBA health and safety protocols and would be out for the series opener against the Miami Heat.
The designation not only had Horford out for Tuesday’s start of the best-of-seven series, but also, based on the NBA’s required quarantine in such cases, possibly out for Thursday night’s Game 2 at FTX Arena and Saturday’s Game 3 at TD Garden.
“We found out about Al about two hours ago,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said, less than two hours before tipoff.
