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Al Horford has spent 15 season in the NBA. And this is his first NBA Finals in what has been a terrific, consistent career.
He played 28 games for the Oklahoma City Thunder last year and was shut down the rest of the 2020-21 season as the rebuilding franchise sought to trade him.
Before that? It was a rough tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers in which he didn’t quite fit.
After last year, he was dealt to Boston, where he played three seasons before … and thanks to him, the Celtics took down the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 on Thursday night.
Horford flexed on the Dubs. He blew a kiss at the end of the night. At the moment, if he keeps up what he did in Game 1, he could be a Finals MVP (!!!). How cool is that?
Some other cool facts: He’s the second-oldest player in history to score 25-plus. Per ESPN, the six threes he hit were the most in his career, either in the regular season or playoffs. And when you hear what his teammates have to say, you can tell how important he is to a young Celtics squad that needs his leadership.
“Al’s the OG man he puts in the work,” Marcus Smart said on Thursday night. “Don’t nobody deserve to be here more than him.”
He’s got three more wins to go!
Quick hits: The Spelling Bee ending was wild … RIP, beer-cup pyramid … Steve Cohen dad joke … and more.
— You have to watch the lightning-round spell-off that ended the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
— A beer-cup pyramid got knocked down by a Cubs usher and everyone was mad.
— Should Travis Etienne really want to be used like Deebo Samuel?
— This Steve Cohen joke deserves a facepalm.