Even if you’re a basketball fan who didn’t want to see the Boston Celtics win, everyone could be happy for Al Horford. The veteran big man can finally erase his name from a list no player wanted to be atop of.
Coming into the 2023-24 NBA season, Al Horford held the record for most playoff games played without winning their first championship. He, like so many other talented players, had the unfortunate luck of being in the Eastern Conference at the same time as LeBron James.
Dominating with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Cavaliers again, Al Horford was on the receiving end of plenty of playoff losses at his hands. Whether it was with the Atlanta Hawks or earlier in his first Boston Celtics tenure, Horford was always coming up short.
But, that changed on Monday night. With the Celtics defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games, Al Horford is now an NBA Champion. His name is erased from that winless list forever, a feeling he could barely put into words following the game.
“Man, I’ll never forget what Danny Ainge told me in that meeting,” Horford, 38, said of the Celtics’ former president of basketball operations. “He said, ‘You can win championships in many places, but there’s nothing like winning in Boston. Nothing like winning as a Celtic.'”
The all-time mark is held by Karl Malone, who played in 193 playoff games without a title. He had the unfortunate luck of running into the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in his cracks at a title with the Utah Jazz. Injuries also derailed his chance to win with the Los Angeles Lakers superteam later in his career.
It took 186 playoff games to win a ring, but he has finally done it. Before Al Horford, the mark was held by Gary Payton. He played in 152 postseason games before breaking through with the Miami Heat.
“Nobody deserved it more than Al,” said Jaylen Brown, the Finals MVP. “He’s been a great not just leader on the court but off the court as well. … It’s been an honor to be by his side. And Al Horford is a real-life legend and hero. It’s been great to be his teammate.”
Whatever role the Boston Celtics needed Al Horford to play, he did it. And often times, he would find success in doing so. A consummate veteran, there isn’t a player who deserved this championship more than him.
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