With the Philadelphia 76ers welcoming the rival Boston Celtics into town on Friday, things were bound to get testy from the Philadelphia faithful at the Wells Fargo Center. However, things were heightened a bit with the return of Al Horford who spent one tough season with the Sixers in 2019-20.
The Sixers signed Horford to a 4-year $109 million deal in the offseason of 2019 and he was expected to not only join forces with Joel Embiid and form a big man dup who would be tough to stop, but he was also expected to back up the big fella as well.
Instead, Horford struggled in the power forward role as there was not enough space for him and Embiid to operate. He was much better in Philadelphia when he was the center and with the big fella there, it didn’t make much sense to keep Horford after the one tough season.
The Sixers sent Horford to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the deal that brought Danny Green to Philadelphia and after a season there, he was traded back to the Celtics. He made his return to Philadelphia for the first time since the trade and the fan base at the Wells Fargo Center treated him with a chorus of boos.
Al Horford gets greeted with boos during his introduction tonight. It’s his 1st game back since he was traded. #Sixers pic.twitter.com/24e7AAY2px
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) January 15, 2022
Horford’s tenure with the Sixers was tough, and he acknowledged that it was, but now that he is back playing his natural position, he is making an impact for the Celtics and he has had some big games on the defensive end for them.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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