Knicks HC Reveals How Al Horford Makes Celtics Special

The Boston Celtics have many veterans on their squad who have made a name for themselves in their careers thus far. However, none may be more revered than veteran forward Al Horford.

Horford is in his 18th season of his career and is in his seventh season in Boston. The 38-year-old has seen it and done it all in his career; while that is the case, he still remains impactful. He's made his imprint on the team, and as the Celtics look to repeat as champions, that will remain the case with Horford.

The veteran forward will look to do just that in their second-round series against the New York Knicks. While all the attention will be on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Knicks' head coach, Tom Thibodeau, knows the importance of Horford.

Prior to Game 1, Thibodeau spoke highly of Horford, saying how impactful he remains in Boston despite his age.

“He's a special guy — everywhere he's gone, people say the exact same thing.

“He's embraced everything that's come his way.

“He's still great.”

Tom Thibodeau on Al Horford:

“He's a special guy — everywhere he's gone, people say the exact same thing.”

“He's embraced everything that's come his way.”

“He's still great.” pic.twitter.com/p3QWtZtgXQ
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) May 5, 2025

No matter where Horford has been in his career, he has shown to be impactful and a difference-maker on both sides of the ball. That alone was evident in the Celtics' series against the Orlando Magic.

While his stats don't pop out on the page, his impact certainly does. In Game 4 alone, Horford was huge for the C's. He recorded five huge blocks for the team in that contest to help them lead a 3-1 advantage.

That is one of many examples of Horford being huge for the team he represents.

Thus far in the playoffs, Horford is averaging 7.0 points per game, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.8 blocks while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three in 32.2 minutes of action.

The veteran forward will look to do more of the same against Thibodeau's Knicks. This season against New York, his numbers were solid: He averaged 6.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from three in three games.

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