Al Horford recalls Danny Ainge’s free agency pitch after winning NBA Championship
After winning his first tile in a 17-year career, Al Horford recalled one of his first conversations with the Boston Celtics.
Al Horford is an NBA champion. After 17 NBA seasons – including six non-consecutive seasons with the Boston Celtics – Horford has finally reached basketball’s biggest stage with the Celtics’ Game 5 Finals-clinching win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.
In the immediate aftermath of his long-awaited championship, Horford went back to his early days with the Celtics – before he even officially signed in Boston. One of the top free agents available in the summer of 2016 after a successful nine years with the Atlanta Hawks, the Celtics were recruiting Horford to be the franchise’s biggest free agent signing in decades. During one of Horford’s first meetings with the Celtics, then-president of basketball operations Danny Ainge used a pitch that finally came to fruition on Monday night.
“It was crazy because during free agency meetings in 2016, my agent and I, Jason Glushon, were both sitting in the meeting and we just kept looking at this enormous ring on [Celtics governor] Wyc [Grousbeck]’s hand,” Horford recalled. “And after the meeting we were like, ‘did you notice that?’ That was the attention.”
“Man, I never forget what Danny Ainge told me in that meeting. He said, ‘you can win championships in many places, but there’s nothing like winning in Boston. Nothing like winning as a Celtic.'” Horford continued. “And that stuck with me from that meeting. I was like, ‘man, I’m trying to be great, and that’s what I want.'”
Now, Ainge’s vision and Horford’s goal is complete as he becomes an NBA champion at 38 years old – even if he hasn’t fully realized it yet.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Horford said in his postgame press conference. “I’m going through the emotions right now, but I don’t feel like it’s over. This is an unbelievable feeling. Yeah, the confetti, everything is going on, but it just hasn’t hit me yet.”
Given his age and role as a leading veteran presence on the team though, he wasn’t the only one who had his title status at the forefront.
“Nobody deserved it more than Al. He’s been a great not just leader on the court but off the court as well,” Finals MVP Jaylen Brown noted after the game. “Great teammate. 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.”
Asked about Horford, first-year Celtic Jrue Holiday said of winning a title for Horford, “it was like one of the ultimate goals of this season.”
“Knowing the type of person that Al is, knowing the leader that he is, even off the court, the father that he is, just the all-around great person and great human, I’d run through a brick wall for him,” Holiday added. “I’m so happy that he got one.”
“Man, nobody deserves it more. Hell of a career. So underrated career. Just does everything for us. Doesn’t ask for anything,” Derrick White echoed. “I’m so happy for him, and I’m glad I could be a part of it. Just an amazing career, and this is just another chapter of it.
Horford’s title adds to an already-extensive resume. He’s a five-time All-Star and has been named to All-NBA, All-Defense, and All-Rookie teams in his career. At 38 there’s a real chance Monday night was his final game, and if so it was a fitting cap on a career that – well, his teammates put it best.
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Celtics defeat Mavericks and capture Banner 18 after Jayson Tatum dominates Game 5 winning 106-88
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 17: Jayson Tatum #0 high fives Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter of Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Second Quarter:
Sam Hauser would keep Boston’s offensive run going hitting a 3 pointer right out of the gate in the second quarter extending Boston’s lead to 11. Tatum who was struggling a little scoring early in this one was up to six assists already early in the second quarter making his impact felt. Porzingis would get his first basket of the night to give Boston a 36-22 lead with 9:10 to go in the first half. Dallas would try and chip away but Boston would continue to hit 3 pointers like they had all season with Jrue Holiday getting in on the action extending Boston’s lead to 41-27 with just over 8 minutes to go in the half.
Jayson Tatum would start scoring in the second quarter as he was up to 11 points 7 assists and 4 rebounds with 7:08 to go in the half, with Boston leading 46-31. Tatum was by far the best player on the court for both sides in the first half impacting the game in every facet. Luka Doncic would miss a pair of free throws that could have helped cut Boston’s lead 13. Boston would have it’s first turnover of game 5 with just over 6 minutes to go in the half off a bad pass from Jrue Holiday to Sam Hauser. The Mavericks would score a couple easy buckets at the rim to cut Boston’s lead to 9 with 4:53 to go in the half forcing Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout to settle his team down.
The old man Al Horford would be the steadying force for Boston in the first half scoring an easy layup to stop Dallas’ run giving the Celtics a 50-39 lead with just over 3 minutes to go in the first half. On the other end Dallas’ two superstars Irving and Doncic were a combined 4-15 to start the game scoring only 10 points to this point. Horford would dive to the floor to save a loose ball that would lead to an easy transition layup for Jaylen Brown giving Boston a 54-39 lead with 2 minutes to go until half time.
Jayson Tatum’s great first half would continue with his 9th assist coming on a massive Jaylen Brown 3 pointer to give Boston a 57-42 lead, but all things would continue to come up Boston as Derrick White would hit another 3 pointer on the next possession to give Boston a 60-42 lead with just over a minute to go in the half. Tatum would put the exclamation point on his great first half with a 3 pointer over Luka Doncic to give Boston a 64-44 lead with :13 seconds to go in the half. If Celtics fans thought the Tatum 3 was the exclamation point Peyton Pritchard shot the Garden into a frenzy at the end of the half hitting a half courter to give Boston a 21 point lead 67-46 lead heading into the half.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 17: Jaylen Brown #7 celebrates with Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter of Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Fourth Quarter:
Derrick White would start the fourth quarter with a massive block on Derrick Lively to keep Boston’s lead at 19. Porzingis would draw two early fouls from Dallas in under a minute to start the quarter. Kyrie’s nightmare in Boston would continue as he was 3/13 from the field with plenty of open looks. While Porzingis would score a big dunk to extend Boston’s lead back to 88-67 with 9:08 to go in the game.
Derrick White would hit a 3 pointer to give Boston a 91-70 lead with 8:45 to go and the Celtics closing in on banner 18. Jayson Tatum would continue his unbelievable game 5 hitting a tough and one to give him 23 points 11 assists and 7 rebounds in the biggest game of his life. Tatum would continue to inch the Celtics closer to the title with a tough layup giving Boston a 20 point lead again.
It was the Jayson Tatum show in game 5 cementing his status in the league and cementing every Celtics fans belief in him, Tatum would score back to back buckets to give himself 29 points and the Celtics a 102-78 lead. Boston was doing everything right down the stretch led by their best player putting in his best performance of the playoffs as they inched ever closer to banner 18.
Dallas would fight back a little with just over 3 minutes to go scoring on back to back possessions to close the gap to 21, but there just wasn’t enough time left in the game to stop Boston from the inevitability of capturing the title. The Dallas Mavericks would wave the white flag 2:30 to go and the game out of hand pulling Luka and Kyrie from the game and all but guaranteeing the Celtics fate of winning the NBA title. Joe Mazzulla would give Al Horford his moment checking in Luke Kornet in for him with just over two minutes to go if it was the end for Horford it was the perfect ending for the 38 year old ending the night and possibly his career as an NBA Champion.
Boston cemented their unbelievable season with an unbelievable playoff run capping it off with a dominant game 5 to seal Banner 18 and cement the teams legacy in not only Celtics history but NBA history.
Boston would go on to win by the final margin of 106-88 standing alone a top the mountain of the NBA, for all the doubters and naysayers that questioned the teams ability to finish and the core of Boston being kept together these last few years were silenced by Tatum and Brown lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy and etching themselves into the history books.
