The moment Billy Donovan first felt the horror of Al Horford is still vivid in his mind. To him, the scene 20 years ago seems like yesterday.
"I will never forget it." Donovan, who now coaches the Chicago Bulls, was the head coach of the University of Florida. At that time, he went to watch the championship game of the Adidas Championship, where the Atlanta Celtics, the AAU's victorious team, faced off against the Dark Horse. The Boston Broncos, the Celtics had Dwight Howard and Josh Smith at the time, and the Broncos were led by Horford and miraculously reached the championship game.
Although the Broncos lost by 20 points in the end, "It was a tough game and the opponent was very strong." Horford recalled.
However, Donovan had a different impression of that game. "I was leaving the court after the game, but I saw Al Horford sitting on the other end of the field crying." Donovan said, "I felt that he had a dedication to winning. Even though he's only 17 years old." So Donovan tried his best to recruit Horford.
"I care a lot about winning or losing. Everyone says not to take it seriously, but I am born for this. I hate losing and am willing to do anything to win."
Donovan finally succeeded in recruiting Horford as he wished, and the two teamed up to lead the University of Florida to become the last defending NCAA team (2006 and 2007).
Fast forward to 2022. After 15 years of NBA career, Horford finally stood on the NBA championship stage. At this time in 2021, the 36-year-old Horford was still sitting in front of the TV watching the playoffs, wondering if he still had a chance. After winning the championship, "I was looking at pictures on my phone and thinking about what I was doing." Horford said after defeating the Heat in the Eastern Conference Championship Game.
Before returning to the Celtics, Horford's NBA career seemed to have entered a countdown. In the latter part of the 2019-20 season, Horford was removed from the starting lineup by the 76ers, and was subsequently traded to the Thunder. This was the first time in his 14-season career that he missed the playoffs. The rebuilding Thunder could not keep Horford, so there were still The next two years are about and the situation of the elderly is precarious.
Horford played for the Celtics from 2016-19 and became a lifeline in the latter part of his career. "I'm very happy to be a member of them, and I'm very happy that there is still a place for me here."
A failed partnership with the Philadelphia 76ers
In the battle between the Celtics and the Wizards for Horford in 2016, he successfully allowed him to join Boston. Based on this, Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving were successively recruited in the future.
Horford's stable performance on both offense and defense also helped the Celtics reach the Eastern Conference Championship Game in both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. However, Horford chose to opt out of his contract in the 2019 offseason and surprisingly joined the division rival 76ers, who also had star center Joel Embiid on their roster.
"He has a big impact on the court, and I'm looking forward to playing with him and the chemistry and possibilities." Horford said at the press conference.
But a few months later, the situation changed. Embiid and Horford were clearly out of tune. "It was almost like I had to reinvent myself and try to figure out if there were other ways to make me more valuable."
When Embiid went off the court, Horford returned to the center and cooperated very smoothly with Ben Simmons. However, this role and time were limited. When he played with Embiid, he would need to serve as an extension four, but Horford's three-point shooting percentage that season Only 31.8%.
The current head coach of the Celtics, Ime Udoka, was the assistant coach of the Sixers at the time. He also believed that Horford and Embiid did not match the style and play style from the beginning. "He has higher offensive freedom now than he did then. He can shoot from the outside, and he can also play big and small, and then try to follow up to the outside defensively."
