5 takeaways from the Celtics shutting down the 76ers process

4. Al Horford is the best player on the Celtics, don’t @ me

The real difference between the Sixers and Celtics?

Al Horford.

Boston was in a similar scenario as Philadelphia. They were coming into this series with young talent who has never been in this position before. Sure, Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown were part of last seasons Conference Finals team. But Brown played sparingly and Rozier only played big minutes when Isaiah Thomas’ hip wouldn’t allow him to play anymore. This was Jayson Tatum’s first rodeo.

But Horford has been here before. His leadership not only showed on the court, but all of his teammates talk about his leadership off the court. He’s a calming presence who knows how to keep everyone even keel in the big moments. When Boston needed buckets late in games, who did they go to?

His averages only tell half the story. People joke that “hard screens and dribble handoffs don’t look good in highlight reels.” Those people are right. Those things don’t look good on highlight reels. And defensive communication doesn’t show up in the boxscore. But those things matter in a NBA game. Especially in a playoff game when the team around you is still wet behind the ears.

Numbers won’t say Horford is the best player on the Celtics. YouTube videos won’t make you jump out of your seat. But listen to his teammates. Watch the games. Al Horford is the best and most important player wearing green and white.