Al Horford On His Amazing Career, Evolving His Game, Playing with Tatum, Battling LeBron and More

The Old Man and the Three: Episode 152 Al Horford

In this episode, JJ Redick and Tommy Alter interview Al Horford, a professional basketball player. They discuss his career, evolution as a player, and insights into the current Celtics team.

Al Horford's Career

• Al Horford is known for being a wonderful human being.

• He started his career with the Hawks and had many playoff battles against LeBron James.

• They touch on his evolution as a player both defensively and offensively.

Insights into the Current Celtics Team

• The Celtics lost to the Wizards by 19 points in their last game.

• For them to win a championship, Jason Tatum needs to make jumpers off the bounce.

• It is important for them to manage rotations, particularly in the frontcourt with Al Horford.

• Brogden has been fantastic all season and is currently second in odds for Sixth Man of the Year.

Overall, this episode provides valuable insights into Al Horford's career as well as some analysis of the current state of the Boston Celtics team.

Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks Playoff Preview

The discussion centers around the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, two of the favorites to win the NBA championship this year. They talk about how three-point shooting is a significant emphasis for both teams, and they have players who could swing a playoff game.

Three-Point Shooting Emphasis

• Brogden and Horford are both shooting 44.7% from three right now, third and fourth are basically tied for second in the league.

• There's an emphasis on three-point shooting throughout the roster.

• Both teams have been one or two with Golden State in three-pointers made and attempted all season.

Players Who Could Swing a Playoff Game

• Both teams have a number of excellent role players that could swing a series.

• Grayson Allen, Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton are some of the players mentioned for Milwaukee Bucks.

• Rob Williams, Grant Williams, Derek White are some of the players mentioned for Boston Celtics.

Mike Muscala as Insurance Policy

• Mike Muscala has played 15 to 18 minutes in his first five or six games when Rob Williams was hurt.

• Mike Muscala is viewed as an insurance policy for a long playoff run.

Robert Williams' Impact on Boston Celtics

• The discussion ends with Robert Williams' impact on Boston Celtics.

Managing Al Horford's Health

In this section, the hosts discuss how to manage Al Horford's health and playing time in preparation for the playoffs.

Juggling Health and Playing Time

• It is important to keep Al Horford healthy for the playoffs.

• However, he was not a factor in the Wizards game on Tuesday, only playing 15 minutes and possibly not scoring.

• The Boston Celtics medical staff will need to gauge how much he should or shouldn't be playing right now health-wise.

• The team needs to figure out how to juggle his health with their need for him to play well against Milwaukee.

Importance of Lineups

• The Boston Celtics roster allows them the luxury of being able to play different lineups depending on their matchup in the playoffs.

• It is more about figuring out which lineups against which matchups are going to put them in the best position to be successful rather than worrying about minutes played.

• This was exemplified by last year's Memphis Grizzlies vs. Minnesota Timberwolves series where Steven Adams was benched after one game because it wasn't a good matchup for him.

Conversation with Al Horford

In this section, JJ Redick interviews Al Horford about his career and experiences as an NBA player.

Almost Teammates

• JJ Redick and Al Horford almost became teammates at one point but it didn't work out.

• They ran into each other during the bubble experience and had dinner together with other players they normally wouldn't have played with before.

Signing with Philly

• During that dinner, JJ Redick mentioned that he wished he had gotten a chance to play with Al Horford.

• Al responded by saying that he thought they were going to be teammates and that was part of the reason he signed with Philly.

• Al loves playing with guys who can shoot the ball, like JJ Redick and Kyle Korver.

Circuitous Route Back to Boston

• Al Horford has had a circuitous route back to Boston.

• He played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and briefly for the Oklahoma City Thunder before returning to Boston.

Observations on the NBA

In this section, the speaker talks about his observations on how the NBA has changed over time.

Changes in the Game

• The game used to be more of a post-up game, but now there is more focus on shooting threes.

• The Rockets' style of play had a significant impact on the league's shift towards shooting threes.

• People want immediate success and are not patient with developing players.

Talent Level in the League

• The talent level in the league is impressive, with many young players making an impact right away.

• Young players are coming into the league with high skill levels and already have their offensive game figured out.

Continuity within Teams

In this section, the speaker discusses how societal expectations have affected continuity within teams.

Societal Expectations

• There is pressure to win and achieve immediate success due to societal expectations.

• Our generation of players has had to deal with different pressures than previous generations due to social media and hot take culture.

Lack of Continuity

• Teams do not allow groups to have continuity and time together as they did in previous years.

• There is a lack of patience within organizations for developing teams over time.

Maturity of Young Players

In this section, the speaker talks about his experience playing with young players who showed maturity beyond their years.

Jalen Brown

• Jalen Brown surprised the speaker with his maturity and vision at a young age.

Jason Tatum

• Jason Tatum was poised and had an old soul demeanor from the start.

• The speaker was impressed with how Tatum kept his cool and went about the season.

Al Horford's Consistency and Demeanor

In this section, the speaker talks about Al Horford's consistency and demeanor during rough stretches of the season.

Al Horford's Impressive Demeanor

• Despite going through a rough stretch, Al Horford's demeanor does not change.

• He continues to put in work every day and takes care of his body.

• He stays locked in and wants to play every game if he possibly can.

• He is all about continuing to work and figure things out on the fly.

Evolution of Al Horford as a Shooter

In this section, the speaker discusses how Al Horford evolved as a shooter over time.

From Mid-range Shooter to Three-point Shooter

• In 2015, Al Horford shot a career-high 3.7 percent of his shots from three-point range.

• Currently, 65.9 percent of his shots are threes.

• There was a jump in 2016 where he took over three threes per game.

• Initially, he never dreamed of shooting threes but started working on corner threes after being encouraged by management.

• After getting injured in 2012, management advised him to start working on his three-point shot since his physical game would not hold up forever.

• Coach Bud and Kenny Atkinson gave him confidence to shoot threes from everywhere and be aggressive.

Al Horford's Shooting Form and Importance of Stretch Bigs

In this section, Al Horford talks about his shooting form and how he learned it. He also discusses the importance of stretch bigs in today's game.

Shooting Form

• Al Horford learned to shoot growing up in the Dominican Republic.

• A family friend who was a basketball coach taught him how to shoot when he moved to the US.

• Horford's guide hand is in an unusual position that coaches have tried to correct, but it feels natural to him.

• He tries not to let his guide hand get in the way too much.

Importance of Stretch Bigs

• Budenholzer had a significant influence on Brook Lopez's three-point shooting ability.

• Being able to stretch the floor is essential for big men to stay relevant and extend their careers.

Switching in the NBA

In this section, JJ Redick and Malcolm Brogdon discuss the prevalence of switching in the NBA and how it has changed over time. They also talk about the mental approach needed to defend against switches.

The Ability to Switch

• Switching was not a common defensive strategy in the past but is now prevalent across the board.

• Teams try to manipulate pick-and-rolls to get favorable matchups by getting defenders switched onto certain players.

• Being targeted for switches can be frustrating, but having an edge and embracing the challenge is important.

• Having teammates communicate and support each other on defense makes it easier to defend against switches.

Defending Against Tatum

In this section, JJ Redick talks about defending against Jason Tatum during a playoff series between his team and Tatum's team. He also discusses how he was criticized for his defense despite feeling like he played well.

Defending Against Tatum

• JJ Redick was tasked with defending Jason Tatum during a playoff series.

• Despite being at a size disadvantage, Redick felt like he battled well against Tatum.

• Redick received criticism from the media for his defense even though he only allowed 10 points and forced an air ball on one possession.

• The matchup between Redick and Tatum shows how perceptions can be misleading.

Game Three of Playoff Series

In this section, JJ Redick and Malcolm Brogdon discuss game three of a playoff series that they played in. They talk about how crazy the game was and some key moments from it.

Game Three of Playoff Series

• Game three of a playoff series was intense with lots of back-and-forth action.

• Marco Belinelli hit a game-tying shot in the corner during the game.

• Jalen Brown hit an important inbound play to help his team take the lead.

Game Three Pivotal Moment

Al Horford and JJ Redick discuss the pivotal moment of game three in a playoff series.

Importance of Game Three Win

• Winning game three is crucial to winning the series.

• The win in game three helped Al Horford's team with the series.

What-If Moments

• Al Horford regrets his turnover at the end of regulation in game three when they were up by 20 points.

• Greg Monroe's performance in game two was unexpected and changed the momentum of the game.

Missed Opportunities

JJ Redick and Al Horford discuss missed opportunities during a playoff series.

Missed Shot in Game Five

• TJ McConnell missed a shot that could have won them the game.

• Boston Celtics fans make a difference, making it one of the best places to play on the road.

Difficulty Beating LeBron James

JJ Redick and Al Horford talk about their experiences playing against LeBron James during playoffs.

LeBron's Dominance

• LeBron James had another gear that individually couldn't be reached.

• It was difficult to beat LeBron James because he dominated teams.

Fitness Level and Conditioning

• LeBron James' fitness level and conditioning are impressive, allowing him to perform at his best even after playing every minute up until that point.

Defending LeBron James

Al Horford talks about defending LeBron James in a game seven and how they tried to wear him down throughout the game.

Defending LeBron James

• The team had Marcus Morris, Jay Center, Jalen Brown, and Al Horford himself on LeBron James.

• They played physical and hard to try to wear him down throughout the game.

• Despite their efforts, LeBron was still standing strong at the end of the game.

• Some of his teammates stepped up and made plays to help them win.

2015 Hawks Team

Al Horford talks about his experience playing for the 2015 Hawks team that went undefeated in January with all five starters being named player of the month.

Special Group

• The 2015 Hawks team was a special group that was fun to be a part of.

• The team was unselfish and connected, making practices joyful.

• It took some time for Al Horford to get going due to an injury but once he did, they took off as a team.

• The team had many leaders and veterans who were all about doing what was best for the team.

Undefeated in January

• The team went undefeated in January with a record of 17-0.

• They were 28-2 in December and January combined.

• All five starters were named player of the month which showed how much of a collective effort it was.

Making Playoffs

Al Horford discusses what makes a team ready for playoffs based on his experience playing on different teams.

Common Denominator

• A common denominator among playoff teams is their ability to come together and play with a strong identity.

• Good defensive teams have a better chance of making the playoffs.

• Mental toughness and collectiveness are important early on in the playoffs.

Identity

• Having a strong identity as a team is crucial for success in the playoffs.

• The Orlando Magic team that Al Horford played on had an identity of being a top five defensive team and playing four out with Dwight Howard rolling and shooting threes.

The Importance of Winning in the Playoffs

In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of winning in the playoffs and how historically, teams with star players tend to win.

LeBron's Peak Years

• LeBron's peak years were his last two years in Miami and his first two years back in Cleveland.

• During this period, he was still an unbelievable player but had accumulated more skills and basketball IQ.

• This combination made him a formidable opponent on the court.

Favorite Playoff Moments

• One of the speaker's favorite playoff moments was hitting a putback shot against the Wizards during game five of their 2015 playoff series.

• While another memorable moment was playing against Milwaukee in 2019, which was a very emotional game for him.

Intensity Increases as Rounds Progress

• As rounds progress, there is an increase in intensity and mental focus required from players.

• Both teams become more battle-tested as they advance through each round.

Playoff Intensity

In this section, Derek Fisher talks about the difference between regular season basketball and playoff intensity. He also shares his thoughts on game four of the finals.

Regular Season vs Playoffs

• The playoffs have a different level of physicality and focus compared to the regular season.

• The intensity in the playoffs increases with each round, making it more challenging mentally and emotionally.

• Playoff basketball is incomparable to regular season basketball or any other sport.

Game Four of the Finals

• Game four was a turning point in the series, even though it was just one game.

• Boston had opportunities to win but couldn't finish their stretch run.

• Steph Curry's performance was unbelievable, especially considering how hostile the Garden can be for opposing teams.

• After winning that game, Golden State celebrated as if they had won the championship.

Playoffs vs Regular Season

This section discusses the differences between preparing for playoffs versus regular season games.

Preparing for Playoffs

• Teams receive binders with scouting reports on every player.

• Game plans are more nuanced and focused on individual player tendencies.

• Mental preparation is magnified due to increased attention, pressure, and team mindset.

Regular Season Preparation

• Limited practice time and back-to-back games make it difficult to focus on individual player tendencies.

• Mental preparation is less intense than in playoffs.

Marcus Smart's Effectiveness

This section discusses what makes Marcus Smart an effective player.

What Makes Marcus Smart Effective?

• His competitiveness and savvy nature.

• He is not afraid of any moment or any player.

• He can guard players in all positions.

Versatile Defenders and Offensive Strategy

This section discusses versatile defenders and offensive strategy.

Versatile Defenders

• The team has several versatile defenders, including Marcus Smart.

• They are able to guard players one-on-one effectively.

Offensive Strategy

• The team plays fast, getting up and down the floor quickly.

• The ball moves quickly without sticking to one player for too long.

• When playing like this, the team is at its best.

Favorite Joakim Noah Story

This section shares a favorite story about Joakim Noah from college days.

Hurricane Story with Joakim Noah

• During a hurricane in Florida, they were stuck in their dorm room with no food or transportation.

• They walked half a mile through strong winds to get food from Gator Diner.

Surviving Hurricane Frances

In this section, Al Horford talks about his experience during Hurricane Frances while he was a student at the University of Florida.

Going Out for Food During the Hurricane

• Al and Joe decided to go out in the middle of the hurricane to get food.

• They walked down the middle of the street with a boombox playing Reggae music.

• Despite strong winds and falling trees, they made it to Gator Diner and ate until they were full.

• They also brought food back for their friends who didn't want to come with them.

Recording the Storm

• After returning from getting food, Al and Joe recorded footage of the storm using a camcorder.

• They talked about how they would share this experience with their kids one day.

Possibility of Repeat NCAA Champions

In this section, Al Horford discusses whether there will ever be repeat champions in NCAA Men's Basketball again.

Possibility of Repeat Champions

• Al thinks that it is possible for there to be repeat champions in NCAA Men's Basketball again.

• He believes that some programs have the ability to recruit top talent and create winning teams.