Derrick White stole the show as the Boston Celtics exerted their dominance over the Memphis Grizzlies, but another player deserves attention too.
While the New York Knicks are constantly criticized over their lack of depth, there are no such problems with the reigning champions Boston Celtics.
In fact the Celtics are so strong that they are being forecast to struggle to keep their existing roster together next season.
Their most recent win saw Boston record their 56th win of the season, beating the Grizzlies 117-103.
And following a game where Derrick White set the record for most three points in a season for a Boston Celtics player, two outspoken analysts felt another player deserved some praise too.
Al Horford praise
Speaking during a segment on ESPN’s First Take, both Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith paid tribute to the way Al Horford is playing at the age of 38.
Horford really caught attention with the way he defended for the Celtics in the win over the Lakers in early March, and has continued to shine since.
And following his 26 points performance in the Celtics win over the Grizzlies, where he went 6-13 from three point range, the plaudits continued.
Shannon Sharpe began: “Where did Al Horford go after the All-Star break?
“That’s what I want to know Steven A, because the way he’s been playing, I need to find out where Al Horford went, because I need some of that medicine that he got.”
Stephen A. Smith responded: “Brother’s ageing like a fine wine. He can shoot the basketball, pull bigs away from the basket, plus he’s active defensively.
“You got to give Al Horford a lot of love.”
Horford added eight rebounds and two assists to his 26 points against Memphis, leading Boston in scoring, with one more point than Jayson Tatum, who has been dubbed the ‘heartbeat of the NBA’.
Al Horford post All-Star break
Al Horford has seen a small increase in minutes per game since the All-Star break, with the Celtics ramping up towards the playoffs. He has averaged 30.8 minutes per game since. It was 26.4 per game beforehand.
This has led to an increase in production. Horford’s splits have jumped from 7.9 ppg to 11.9.
His rebounds have increased from 5.5 to 7.6, and his assists from 1.9 to 2.9.
As Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith note, Horford has taken a leap in recent weeks, and is ramping up ahead of the playoffs, and deserves more attention.
