Boston Celtics big man Al Horford showed up defensively in a narrow win over his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, Wednesday night. At first, Horford said it was a win like any other, but later recognized the victory had sort of a sweeter taste to it against the team that sent him to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“It was a very low point for me at the beginning when it all went down, looking at having to go to Oklahoma City, what now would be my 14th year,” Horford told media Thursday. “I really looked at it at that point as there’s an opportunity for me to get better, to prove myself and to prove to people what I can do.”
Horford swatted five blocks and contributed 10 points and eight rebounds against his old team. He was 4-for-6 from the floor and 2-for-3 on 3-point attempts.
The 6-foot-9 big man was signed away from Boston by the Sixers after the 2018-19 season and played just one season there before being sent to Oklahoma City.
“That year was a difficult year for me in Philly,” Horford said. “There’s no question about it, and for me was like I can either kind of cave in, or I can make the most of this opportunity.”
He played 28 games in OKC before being sat for the rest of the season. He was then sent to Boston for Kemba Walker in the offseason.
Horford has rewarded Boston’s faith by averaging 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 blocks per game.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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