Getty Jaylen Brown and Al Horford of the Boston Celtics.
Located in one of the biggest markets in the country, the Boston Celtics are one of the most popular teams in the NBA. And given how good the team is this season, it’s unsurprising to see so many people jump on board and get behind this current squad.
Well, some need to do a better job of identifying others around the team. Al Horford’s sister, Anna Horford, recently tweeted about an experience she had at a bar. She ran into a fellow Celtics fan who asked her a question about the team. Detailing the meeting on Twitter, all she could do was laugh:
“Guy at the bar: I really like the Celtics
“Me: Who are your favorite players?
“Guy: Jaylen Brown & Al Horford, do you know who they are?
“Me: No idea. What are they like??
“🤣🤣😂,” Horford tweeted.
Anna Horford is a common figure on Celtics Twitter and even has her own podcast, Horford Happy Hour, through Boston-based company CLNS Media.
Her brother has been putting together a very solid season for the Celtics this year. Horford has appeared in 41 of the team’s 52 games and is playing 30.7 minutes per contest — the most minutes he’s played since his All-Star season with the Celtics in 2017-18. The big man is averaging 9.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game on 47.4% shooting from the floor and 42.9% shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
As for Brown, the other “favorite player,” he’s having an All-NBA-caliber season for Boston. The star has appeared in 46 of the Celtics’ 52 games and is playing 35.9 minutes per contest. Brown is averaging 27.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game on 49.1% shooting from the field and 33.7% shooting from distance.
Kyrie Irving Goes on Rant After Celtics vs. Nets
Boston recently dismantled the Brooklyn Nets, taking down their divisional rival by a score of 139-96 on February 1. After the game, former Celtic and current Nets point guard Kyrie Irving went on what seemed to be a jealous rant, noting how impressive Boston’s team chemistry is and urging Brooklyn to find a similar level of connectedness.
“It’s only been a year and some change. I mean, you know, it’s not that long. It feels like that long because we haven’t had consistent guys in lineup playing against one another. So, we haven’t seen fully healthy Boston Celtics versus the Brooklyn Nets this year,” Irving explained via CLNS Media when asked why the Nets have been consistently beaten by the Celtics for years.
“Obviously, with last year, we could throw any excuse in the bucket, but I choose not to do that. We just take accountability for where we are in present and focus on what we can control now. [The] past is [the] past, so we just gotta keep reworking it. As a competitor, I’m not going to stop until I figure out what this methodology is to the Boston Celtics right now and why they’re so hot. And I think I have a main reason which is how connected they are and, how much they’ve played together, how many minutes they’ve logged in together. And again, that chip on their shoulder. You can see it. You can feel it. And I think we just have to develop a tougher mentality here, and when we do that, I feel like we’ll be in better competition with them. I know we will.”
Bam Adebayo Discusses Al Horford’s Importance
As for Horford himself, Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo praised the Celtics veteran after taking down Boston in a January 24 game where he wasn’t available. Adebayo discussed how important Horford is to this Celtics team.
“Yeah, I feel like Al Horford is is the vet of that team,” Adebayo said via the Jump View YouTube channel when asked whether or not Boston missed Horford in their January 24 matchup. “I feel like he’s their UD [Udonis Haslem], and you can tell that when he’s on the court. He’s directing guys in position, out of position. Getting guys in the huddle, talking to one another, getting them communicating, and having them in the right spots. So I feel like he’s a big key component for their success this year, but also their success from last year.”