Celtics’ Al Horford Says Sixers Fans’ Boos Got Him Going

At this point, Philadelphia 76ers fans don’t treat Al Horford much differently than they did before he joined the Sixers for his forgettable season in 2019-2020. While former players that leave on a sour note tend to catch a wave of boos every time they touch the ball, the boos for Horford were tame on Saturday night when you compare it to somebody like Ben Simmons.

The Boston Celtics big man still heard it from the South Philly crowd on Saturday night, though, and he couldn’t help but embrace it. After the game, the veteran big man admitted that he liked the hostility as he views it as a sign of respect.

“I like it. I take it as respect,” Horford said after the game. “I wasn’t having my best game offensively. I feel like that got me going.”

Through the first half of action on Saturday night, Horford had zero points off three shots in 16 minutes. He was a minus-14 on the court and essentially a non-factor for the Celtics as the Sixers led 56-50 at halftime.

The Sixers started to pull away early in the second half, gaining a lead as high as 15 points. Suddenly, Horford came alive in the third quarter.

Spending 11 minutes on the court, Horford took five shots from the field. He was left open for four shots beyond the arc. Horford made the Sixers pay, draining all four of his shots from deep. Outscoring the Sixers 30-22 in the third quarter, the once 15-point lead for Philly turned into a two-point lead for the Celtics going into the fourth quarter.

“Just taking advantage of the opportunities,” Horford explained. “That first one, I felt like, really got me going in transition. I sprinted, Jayson (Tatum) hit me with the pass, and I just let it fly. From then on, I just got it going.”

The remainder of the game was tight and went down to the wire. With a clutch three-point shot from Tatum, the Celtics snagged a three-point cushion with one second left to go. Although Joel Embiid nailed a buzzer-beater shot for the Sixers, the big man didn’t get it off in time for it to count.

Boston defeated Philly for the third time this season, and Horford helped his team collect a win over his former organization during his third return to the Wells Fargo Center. While former players tend to have added motivation going into a matchup playing in front of a crowd that used to support them on a nightly basis, Horford didn’t see it the same.

“No extra motivation, It’s just fun,” the big man finished. “It’s a fun environment, and they’re a really good team. These are the type of games you want to be a part of.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.