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Rivalries are a part of what makes sports activities wonderful. The Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Yankees. The Boston Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. The New England Patriots vs… Eli Manning.
And in recent times, the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers have developed a rivalry.
Form of.
Because the 2014-15 season, Boston holds a 31-13 report towards Philadelphia, playoffs included. It goes again to the Embiid quote: “This isn’t a rivalry. I don’t know our report towards them, nevertheless it’s fairly unhealthy. They all the time kick our a**.”
Regardless, there’s clearly a sure hatred between the 2 sides. Each groups flip up the warmth not less than a bit of bit after they face off, and the followers of every franchise typically can’t stand each other.
However amid all of the chaos, one man stands out. Al Horford.
The animosity between the Celtics and 76ers goes deeper with Horford, who is mostly stage–headed. It’s not that Horford carries an enormous disdain for town of Philadelphia. No. It’s the opposite means round.
CelticsBlog’s sister website and SB Nation’s 76ers web page, Liberty Ballers, not too long ago wrote an article detailing “A hater’s guide to the Boston Celtics.” It begins with the phrase, “The Boston Celtics suck,” and discusses how frustratingly good Boston is.
The article goes on to record the highest 5 Celtics gamers 76ers followers ought to hate probably the most. Jayson Tatum may very well be an apparent reply, as he nailed a game-winning three over the 76ers earlier this season. Marcus Good deserves a declare atop the record together with his typically irritating antics.
However no. Horford ranks primary.
In reality, Horford owns a lot actual property within 76ers’ followers’ heads that his sister, Anna Horford, decided to buy some property, too.
Philadelphia can’t appear to recover from the truth that they fully botched their 2019 offseason and proceeded to horrendously mismanage their utilization of Horford.
Celtics followers dreaded seeing Horford, a fan-favorite in Boston, be a part of the 76ers. But two years later, he returned to the inexperienced and white, gift-wrapped on a silver platter by the Oklahoma City Thunder. A group who obtained a first-round decide from the 76ers simply to tackle Horford’s contract.
And, for what it’s value, it appears as if for each second Horford spent away from Boston, all he might take into consideration was returning.
“I inform folks I feel we absolutely manifested his return to Boston as a result of all of us wished it so badly. We form of put that on the market,” Anna Horford told Jared Weiss of The Athletic last June. “Al has alluded to that, as properly. He all the time was homesick for Boston when he was in Philly and when he was in Oklahoma. One way or the other, the celebrities aligned, and we obtained again right here, and it simply labored out completely.”
Three years faraway from his lone 12 months in Philadelphia and Horford remains to be on the minds of 76ers followers. The group’s failure to successfully compete with that 2018-19 group is an enormous a part of their hatred, nevertheless it’s additionally rooted in the truth that Horford has dominated the 76ers each likelihood he’s gotten since.
Throughout his time in Philadephia, Horford shot 35.0% from distance–his lowest mark since his years with the Atlanta Hawks. Since departing, in six video games towards the 76ers, Horford has shot 15-of-34 (44.1%) from past the arc.
That features an earth-scorching performance at the end of February, the place the Celtics made a formidable comeback behind three enormous Horford triples.
“Man, Al was enormous, proper?” mentioned Tatum after the sport. “He’s the rationale why we got here again within the recreation. We had been down 15, I don’t assume he had scored but, and I feel he hit 4 threes in that third quarter and catapult[ed] that run to go as much as begin the fourth.”
However along with his three-point mastery, Horford has traditionally given Embiid issues. Admittedly, Embiid obtained the very best of Horford this season, taking pictures 18-of-28 towards the Celtics huge man. However that’s a newfound success for Embiid.
Final 12 months, he shot 5-of-16 towards Horford. Within the 12 months previous to his transfer to Philadelphia, Embiid was 18-of-44. And the season earlier than that, he was 4-of-11 within the common season and 12-of-33 within the postseason.
When Horford joined the 76ers, it was speculated that one in every of Philadelphia’s major causes for making the transfer was so Embiid wouldn’t should take care of Horford within the East anymore. (Narrator: Spoiler alert, it didn’t work out properly.)
The purpose is that heading into Boston’s second-round collection, the Celtics are centered on Embiid, James Harden, and getting the job achieved. And from the look of it, the 76ers (their followers, not less than) are centered on Horford.
Fortunately for Boston, that’s the best way Horford likes it.
“I prefer it,” Horford mentioned when requested concerning the Philadelphia crowd’s fixed trash speak. “I take it as respect. I wasn’t having my finest recreation offensively [and] I really feel like that form of obtained me going.”
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