Al Horford shares LeBron James activating beast mode in 2018 ECF: “He looked unfazed, he looked unbothered”
Al Horford hasn't forgotten the absolute masterclass that LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers put on during the 2018 Eastern Conference finals. Although the Boston Celtics team led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had thrived that season, everything changed when they met James in the ECF.
After Boston jumped out to a 2-0 lead, Cleveland answered with two wins of their own. With a series of impressive performances from James, the Cavaliers forced a Game 7, where they closed out the series.
During a recent episode of "The Old Man & the Three," Horford reflected on the series and the dominance displayed by LeBron James. As the leading scorer in six of the seven games, James left an indelible mark on Al Horford and the Celtics.
"He just had another gear that I feel like, individually, you couldn't reach that level that he got to," Horford said. "And I share the story with some of the guys when we're talking. It was Game 7, about four minutes to go in the fourth quarter. It was still a very close game. And we're getting out of the timeout.
"I'm looking at Marcus Morris, I'm looking at Jayson Tatum, Jaylen (Brown), Terry (Rozier), myself. We're gassed. I mean, it's game seven, we're giving everything we have. I'm in great shape, and I'm still just very tired from the game.
"And I look at the other side, and he's sitting kind of like in the scorers table, just kind of leaning very casual. He's played every single minute up to that point. And he looked unfazed. He looked unbothered. And, to me, that was disturbing.”
You can view Horford's comments in the video below.
LeBron James on the next level compared to Al Horford and the Boston Celtics
Throughout the 2018 Eastern Conference finals, LeBron James kept Al Horford and the Boston Celtics on their toes. Even after going down 2-0 in the series, James managed to put on a series of spectacular performances, including a 46-point effort in a Game 6 win to force a deciding Game 7.
Unfortunately for James and the Cavaliers, a win over Al Horford and the Celtics saw them match up with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. Although James and the team put on a big comeback to turn things around in the ECF, there was no cinematic triumph in the Finals.
The Golden State Warriors with Kevin Durant swept their way to the championship, marking the final year James played for the Cavaliers.
This season, with Al Horford and the Boston Celtics (52-24) on an absolute tear, the expectation is that the team will make a pretty big postseason push. After reaching the NBA Finals last season, the team is eager to finally capture a championship.
On the flip side, for James and the LA Lakers (37-38), they will likely have to go through the play-in tournament before securing their own playoff spot.