After a Game 1 romp in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics roared back to square things up with the Heat in Game 2. And it was never even close.
In a 127-102 blowout, Boston essentially paced ahead of Miami for the entire evening. The Celtics were so locked in that backup guard Payton Pritchard used quite the unexpected taunt.
As the Celtics now sit three wins away from the NBA Finals, it might be time to reflect on why they can look so dominant at times. Sure, there are the usual suspects like Jayson Tatum getting bucket after bucket, which adds up. But at this stage of the season, most of the remaining teams have a singular offensive star. It’s not necessarily a unique trait.
What sets the Celtics apart is their defense, anchored by Al Horford:
The player who has defended the most shots this playoffs is… Al Horford.
Opponents are shooting 10% worse when defended by Horford. Only Draymond Green has a lower DFG%.
He is 35 years old. pic.twitter.com/9yvyELDiFV
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 20, 2022
That is astonishing. For a player like Horford to have that much impact on defense — at his age, no less — is just remarkable. No wonder the Celtics blew the Heat out in Game 2 after falling down 0-1: Horford missed the first game!
Right now, the Celtics have +185 odds to win the 2022 NBA title with oddsmakers at Tipico Sportsbook. That’s second only to the Warriors (+105). If they keep churning out stellar defensive games, I have a hunch their title odds will only improve. And they should certainly thank Horford for his individual efforts.
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