Al Horford proved his worth in the postseason


I'm not one to tell people they're wrong often.

You want to believe aliens are real? Your call, dude.

Planes are dropping chemtrails cause the government wants to control us? Everyone is entitled to their opinion, I guess.

Al Horford didn't deserve a max deal? Yeah, no. That's where I draw the line.

The Celtics fans who think that are clearly in the minority, but still. I'll accept that the moon landing was fake before I'll entertain the concept of Horford being overpaid.

Why? Because he was unreal in the playoffs, and to be fair, pretty damn good during the regular season too.

As Boston Globe Celtics beat writer Adam Himmelsbach so eloquently put in his end of the season recap: "I think when some people hear the words “max contract,” they think it needs to be accompanied by at least 25 points per game."

It doesn't.

While it would've been sweet to have another dominant scorer, Horford still supplied great contributions in practically every stat column, especially during the postseason.

Anytime you're outperforming LeBron James--in any category--you're doing something right.

Across the floor Horford was raining home buckets, especially from downtown.


To be knocking down those treys in the high-pressure atmosphere of the playoffs across the entire span of three whole series is some serious game. Big Al was clutch.

So much so that he's falling in the top ten of this year's playoffs performances, even outranking Isaiah Thomas, according to ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton:


Point to any playoffs series and I can tell you how he made his mark.

Against the Bulls? Do you remember Nikola Mirotic doing anything? No? That's cause Horford locked him down like a storm cellar door during a tornado.

Versus Washington? As part of Brad Stevens' zone defense, he shut down John Wall in game five like that girl you loved in high school did when you asked her to prom.

Taking on Cleveland? Kept the game alive with that high hook off the glass, ultimately setting up Avery Bradley for the game winner in game three.

The guy is a play maker. On both ends of the floor. He just makes everything work.

He proved he deserves the deal he was given, and for those of you that were skeptical about his worth, you can start fashioning your tin foil hats now, cause you're crazy.

Follow Topher Lane on Twitter, @Topher_L. Photo credit: Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports.
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