Joe Mazzulla credits Al Horford after veteran shines in Boston Celtics' win: “He saved my a** for not calling a timeout"
It was a close game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto as the Boston Celtics managed to secure a win over the Raptors despite missing several key players. The game concluded with a dramatic 106-104 victory for the Celtics. Al Horford was Saturday night's hero as he denied Paskal Siakam from sending the game into overtime. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla is grateful for Horford's efforts.
In the final moments of the matchup, Joe Mazzulla decided not to call for a timeout. The Boston Celtics already had a two-point lead and planned to run the clock out. Unfortunately, Payton Pritchard turned the ball over to the Raptors, giving them an opportunity to send the game into overtime with 14.1 seconds remaining on the clock.
After sloppy play from Pritchard, Al Horford was subbed in and ultimately saved the day for the Celtics. After blocking Paskal Siakam's layup attempt, Horford was able to force a jump ball with 6.1 seconds left. The Celtics veteran then forced another jump ball with 3.8 seconds remaining. Horford secured the second jump and got the ball to Jaylen Brown to finally run down the clock as planned.
Coach Joe Mazzulla felt relieved after risking the game's outcome due to his no-timeout call. Mazzulla praised Al Horford for saving his team. He also pointed out that Horford's box score doesn't matter as long as he makes game-winning plays, such as what recently took place.
“He saved my a** for not calling timeout,” Mazzulla said. “I don’t regret it, but he saved my a**. The box score doesn’t tell the story of what he does for us. Whether it’s leadership in the locker room, offense and defense. He’s just selfless. When he takes it another level defensively, we’re just a different team.”
Al Horford came up clutch multiple times for the Celtics in the final seconds of their win over the Raptors. It's why Joe Mazzulla says the big man saved his ass. More here:
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Will the Boston Celtics reign supreme in the NBA this season?
Ever since losing in the 2022 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, the Boston Celtics have suddenly awakened. The Celtics have been on top of the league all season long. As of January 22, Boston is still leading the entire league with a record of 35-12. With that said, it's no wonder the Celtics are currently the heavy favorites to win this year's NBA title.
The last time the Boston Celtics won a championship was in 2008 during the big three era of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The future is looking bright once again in Boston as they now have one of the best dynamic duos in the league today. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have led the charge this season, and both have performed exceptionally well.
Jayson Tatum is currently the face of the franchise. He's a three-time All-Star who's in contention to be named for his fourth this year. He is averaging 31.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. His stat averages have helped him make a case for becoming this year's MVP. While he may not win the award due to competition, the Celtics are lucky to have an MVP-caliber star by their side.
Jaylen Brown, another player who's been magnificent all season long, is Boston's second option. He is currently averaging 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Brown and Tatum have consistently been getting the job done for the Boston Celtics. If they keep their momentum going all the way until the Finals, victory is inevitable for their squad.