Getty Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks attempts a shot while being guarded by Al Horford.
While typically most comfortable guarding fellow big men down low, the Celtics have used an interesting defensive approach with Al Horford against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. Lacking the necessary height to cover the 6’11” Antetokounmpo on the wing, the Celtics have slid Horford down to cover Antetokounmpo in what has been one of the most entertaining one on one matchups in the series.
This begs the question, is it even possible for Al Horford to slow down the Greek Freak?
Can Celtics’ Al Horford Slow Down Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Yes. While it isn’t easy, Al Horford showed in game one that he is capable of limiting Giannis’ offensive production. While he was afforded the luxury of solid help defense, there were a number of times where Horford and Antetokounmpo went one on one with Horford walking away from things as the victor. While Horford doesn’t possess the size, length, or athleticism of Antetokounmpo, he is an exceedingly smart defender.
Horford found considerable success in game one by playing Antetokounmpo extremely physically and cutting off his drives to the rim. While most of the time Giannis is able to either euro-step his way around an opponent or simply rise up over them for the poster, Horford put himself in excellent position to contest everything Giannis put up. The Celtics swarming perimeter defenders helped keep Giannis from picking up too much downhill speed as well, often sagging off defenders and coming over to disrupt his drives to the rim. This helped give Horford the necessary time to get in place and make a play on Antetokounmpo.
Although the Celtics struggled to execute a similar game plan in the second showdown, game one at least gave an indication that the Celtics have a blueprint to beat the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo & Al Horford Game Log: Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game One
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 22 pts/8 reb/2 ast, 7-21 fg/3-5 3pt/5-10 ft, Rating: -24
Al Horford: 20 pts/11 reb/3 ast, 8-16 fg/3-5 3pt/1-2 ft, Rating: +8
Game Two
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 29 pts/9 reb/4 ast, 7-15 fg/2-4 3pt/13-18 ft, Rating: +20
Al Horford: 15 pts/8 reb/3 ast, 6-10 fg/3-5 3pt/0-0 ft, Rating: -10
While not a drastically better statistical performance in game two, Giannis’ efficiency was crucial to the Bucks evening up the series. In game one, most Bucks outside of Khris Middleton were ice cold from deep and the Celtics were able to utilize a help defender, often Morris, to give Horford a hand with the Greek Freak down low. However, not only was Middleton on fire in game two but the rest of the Bucks were knocking down their attempts as well, forcing the Celtics to stay on the perimeter and leave Horford alone one on one against Antetokounmpo.
Evidenced by the uptick in his free throw numbers and assists, Giannis was more easily able to attack the rim and either draw the foul or kick it out to an open teammate for three. While Horford vs Antetokounmpo is the premier matchup on the court, the play of Antetokounmpo’s teammates has a drastic effect on just how exactly the Celtics are able to use Horford.