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Al Horford, Boston Celtics big man, on struggles vs. New York Knicks: 'I have to be better'
by bobheckler Thu Jan 19, 2017 1:18 pm
http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2017/01/al_horford_boston_celtics_cent.html
Al Horford, Boston Celtics big man, on struggles vs. New York Knicks: 'I have to be better'
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) tries to block Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) (Charles Krupa)
Tom Westerholm | twesterh@masslive.com By Tom Westerholm | twesterh@masslive.com
on January 19, 2017 at 2:51 AM, updated January 19, 2017 at 2:52 AM
BOSTON -- Al Horford is well aware, you guys.
He's aware that he missed 12 of his 14 shots on Wednesday. He's aware that the Boston Celtics got obliterated on the glass, and that a part of the blame rests on him. He's aware that the New York Knicks got to the rim more often than they should have, and that Derrick Rose -- who is well past his prime -- dropped 30 en route to an embarrassing loss for the Celtics.
He knows.
"(I) probably haven't had a night as bad as this," Horford said afterward. "It was just bad. I have to be better."
Horford is far from the only player who needs to be better. The Celtics were out-worked and out-played by a Knicks team that was missing its two biggest players on Wednesday in Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah. Despite holding Carmelo Anthony to 13 points, the Celtics still managed to surrender 117 in large part thanks to 18 offensive rebounds by the Knicks. As noted by The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, the Celtics dished out 25 assists and turned the ball over three times. That has only happened 13 times in NBA history. The Celtics are the lone team to lose in that scenario.
Meanwhile, blaming Horford doesn't get to the heart of Boston's issues on Wednesday. At least, it doesn't address them totally, even though Horford was willing to shoulder the responsibility to the media afterward.
"I have to do a better job protecting the rim," he said. "I can recall a couple of instances where I needed to be there, and I wasn't there impacting the ball as much as I'd like to. I know I have to be better on the defensive end."
If Horford thinks he should have been better on the defensive end, he's probably right. But the rebounding was the central issue.
Follow
Jared Weiss ✔ @JaredWeissNBA
-24 is the worst rebounding differential for the #Celtics since 11/5/14 per @bball_ref
6:50 PM - 18 Jan 2017 · Boston, MA
7 7 Retweets 10 10 likes
The rebounding issues compounded into defensive issues. When Boston missed a potential board, rotations started to fall apart, and the Knicks got open 3-pointers and slashing layups. So in that way, Horford did indeed have defensive issues that will require attention.
But offensively, Horford's problems have been overblown to a certain extent. A prime example: He missed a layup on his first attempt, and Twitter exploded wondering why he misses so much around the basket, but Horford is shooting 70 percent from 0-3 feet this season.
Horford was 2-for-14 from the field, but he still managed to pitch in. He set screens. He tried to shoot himself back into the game. And, most notably, he had twice as many assists as the closest Celtic (Smart with five). The Celtics assisted on 25 of their 35 field goals, in large part thanks to Horford's contributions.
Some of his passes were pretty spectacular.
https://media.giphy.com/media/l0ExdppyVxEXo8DFm/giphy-downsized-large.gif
Horford noted after the game that he was missing everything short ("Legs," he said, sounding unhappy), and that started early. But on this play, he tracked down his own miss and found Crowder, who alertly moved into a position in which Horford could find him.
On the next two possessions, Horford picked up two more assists. Then he buried a 3-pointer. That shot turned out to be the last one he hit until late in the fourth quarter, but throughout the game, Horford looked to get his teammates involved, especially after he started cold.
"I tried to impact the game in other ways, whether it was setting screens or giving people shots, but that was definitely tough for me," Horford said. "They were good looks. I even felt good on a few of them. They just didn't go in."
So instead of shooting, Horford went into the post, where he is a deadly passer.
https://media.giphy.com/media/l0Ex8m6Pl5wa3Iif6/giphy-downsized-large.gif
The Knicks aided and abetted him by displaying truly bad defensive awareness on multiple post-up sets like this -- why Kyle O'Quinn thought doubling Horford was a good decision at that moment is unclear -- but Horford punished them. When he turns his back to the basket and his teammates start running through screens and cutting across the perimeter.
There will likely be plenty of noise around Boston about Horford's bad game, how it cost the Celtics a win, and how Horford is on a max contract. But while the Celtics did need more scoring, it's not entirely fair to lay this loss completely at Horford's feet, as anyone who watches this team regularly should be able to tell you. Horford's contributions on both ends go well beyond scoring, and they go well beyond an admittedly bad night from the field. After all, he finished the game with a plus-two in the box score, and the Celtics still had several opportunities in the fourth quarter.
"We were right there, and they made a couple of shots," Horford said. "They deserved to win. ... We can't afford to not be focused throughout. There's maybe a couple teams in the league that can get away with that, but we can't afford that. We need to be solid every night."
So yes, Horford -- who still contributed positively -- is aware that he needs to be better. There's a good chance he will be.
"I'll come in tomorrow and do some work," he said. "I'll look at the film, look at the ways I can get better. It's just one game. I'll be fine."
bob
MY NOTE: Here's the First Rule of Holes, "When you found you've dug yourself into a hole, the first thing you should do to get yourself out of it is to stop digging". Horford kept taking 3 after 3 after 3 and missed all but one BADLY. Try something else. Go inside, move without the ball, set pics for other shooters. Just stop digging yourself deeper into that 3pt fga hole.
.
Al Horford, Boston Celtics big man, on struggles vs. New York Knicks: 'I have to be better'
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) tries to block Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) (Charles Krupa)
Tom Westerholm | twesterh@masslive.com By Tom Westerholm | twesterh@masslive.com
on January 19, 2017 at 2:51 AM, updated January 19, 2017 at 2:52 AM
BOSTON -- Al Horford is well aware, you guys.
He's aware that he missed 12 of his 14 shots on Wednesday. He's aware that the Boston Celtics got obliterated on the glass, and that a part of the blame rests on him. He's aware that the New York Knicks got to the rim more often than they should have, and that Derrick Rose -- who is well past his prime -- dropped 30 en route to an embarrassing loss for the Celtics.
He knows.
"(I) probably haven't had a night as bad as this," Horford said afterward. "It was just bad. I have to be better."
Horford is far from the only player who needs to be better. The Celtics were out-worked and out-played by a Knicks team that was missing its two biggest players on Wednesday in Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah. Despite holding Carmelo Anthony to 13 points, the Celtics still managed to surrender 117 in large part thanks to 18 offensive rebounds by the Knicks. As noted by The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, the Celtics dished out 25 assists and turned the ball over three times. That has only happened 13 times in NBA history. The Celtics are the lone team to lose in that scenario.
Meanwhile, blaming Horford doesn't get to the heart of Boston's issues on Wednesday. At least, it doesn't address them totally, even though Horford was willing to shoulder the responsibility to the media afterward.
"I have to do a better job protecting the rim," he said. "I can recall a couple of instances where I needed to be there, and I wasn't there impacting the ball as much as I'd like to. I know I have to be better on the defensive end."
If Horford thinks he should have been better on the defensive end, he's probably right. But the rebounding was the central issue.
Follow
Jared Weiss ✔ @JaredWeissNBA
-24 is the worst rebounding differential for the #Celtics since 11/5/14 per @bball_ref
6:50 PM - 18 Jan 2017 · Boston, MA
7 7 Retweets 10 10 likes
The rebounding issues compounded into defensive issues. When Boston missed a potential board, rotations started to fall apart, and the Knicks got open 3-pointers and slashing layups. So in that way, Horford did indeed have defensive issues that will require attention.
But offensively, Horford's problems have been overblown to a certain extent. A prime example: He missed a layup on his first attempt, and Twitter exploded wondering why he misses so much around the basket, but Horford is shooting 70 percent from 0-3 feet this season.
Horford was 2-for-14 from the field, but he still managed to pitch in. He set screens. He tried to shoot himself back into the game. And, most notably, he had twice as many assists as the closest Celtic (Smart with five). The Celtics assisted on 25 of their 35 field goals, in large part thanks to Horford's contributions.
Some of his passes were pretty spectacular.
https://media.giphy.com/media/l0ExdppyVxEXo8DFm/giphy-downsized-large.gif
Horford noted after the game that he was missing everything short ("Legs," he said, sounding unhappy), and that started early. But on this play, he tracked down his own miss and found Crowder, who alertly moved into a position in which Horford could find him.
On the next two possessions, Horford picked up two more assists. Then he buried a 3-pointer. That shot turned out to be the last one he hit until late in the fourth quarter, but throughout the game, Horford looked to get his teammates involved, especially after he started cold.
"I tried to impact the game in other ways, whether it was setting screens or giving people shots, but that was definitely tough for me," Horford said. "They were good looks. I even felt good on a few of them. They just didn't go in."
So instead of shooting, Horford went into the post, where he is a deadly passer.
https://media.giphy.com/media/l0Ex8m6Pl5wa3Iif6/giphy-downsized-large.gif
The Knicks aided and abetted him by displaying truly bad defensive awareness on multiple post-up sets like this -- why Kyle O'Quinn thought doubling Horford was a good decision at that moment is unclear -- but Horford punished them. When he turns his back to the basket and his teammates start running through screens and cutting across the perimeter.
There will likely be plenty of noise around Boston about Horford's bad game, how it cost the Celtics a win, and how Horford is on a max contract. But while the Celtics did need more scoring, it's not entirely fair to lay this loss completely at Horford's feet, as anyone who watches this team regularly should be able to tell you. Horford's contributions on both ends go well beyond scoring, and they go well beyond an admittedly bad night from the field. After all, he finished the game with a plus-two in the box score, and the Celtics still had several opportunities in the fourth quarter.
"We were right there, and they made a couple of shots," Horford said. "They deserved to win. ... We can't afford to not be focused throughout. There's maybe a couple teams in the league that can get away with that, but we can't afford that. We need to be solid every night."
So yes, Horford -- who still contributed positively -- is aware that he needs to be better. There's a good chance he will be.
"I'll come in tomorrow and do some work," he said. "I'll look at the film, look at the ways I can get better. It's just one game. I'll be fine."
bob
MY NOTE: Here's the First Rule of Holes, "When you found you've dug yourself into a hole, the first thing you should do to get yourself out of it is to stop digging". Horford kept taking 3 after 3 after 3 and missed all but one BADLY. Try something else. Go inside, move without the ball, set pics for other shooters. Just stop digging yourself deeper into that 3pt fga hole.
.
bobheckler- Posts : 61410
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Re: Al Horford, Boston Celtics big man, on struggles vs. New York Knicks: 'I have to be better'
by dboss Thu Jan 19, 2017 1:30 pm
The celtics offense provided few opportunities for something else other than 3 point shot attempts. A lot of his shots were taken deep into the shot clock
However I think there should be a realization that a player that was never and has never been a great 3 point shooter cannot and should not be expected to make a high percentage. Last night was pretty horrible.
If you live by the 3 you will die by the 3.
dboss
However I think there should be a realization that a player that was never and has never been a great 3 point shooter cannot and should not be expected to make a high percentage. Last night was pretty horrible.
If you live by the 3 you will die by the 3.
dboss
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Join date : 2009-11-01
Re: Al Horford, Boston Celtics big man, on struggles vs. New York Knicks: 'I have to be better'
by kdp59 Thu Jan 19, 2017 1:37 pm
yes he DOEs need to be better.
he has a MAX contract and he has to play UP to that contract.
if not it was a bad FA signing by Danny, period.
now I like a lot of what Horford brings and you certainly can argue that he was the best big man available in the off-season. But so far he has NOT lived up to a max contract. a max contract player has to be a LEGIT all -star. I think most of us would agree that Horford has not played up to that level.
the fact that we have him here for max money for three more years AGES 31,32,33)
will be a problem for our cap IF he cannot play at an elite level.
I have waited while he overcame his concussion and while he got used to the Celtics and Stevens. But we are at the halfway point in the season and the time to start earning his money has come.
no more excuses, no more being passive (didn't we learn by Jeff Green?) time to STEP UP AL!!
he has a MAX contract and he has to play UP to that contract.
if not it was a bad FA signing by Danny, period.
now I like a lot of what Horford brings and you certainly can argue that he was the best big man available in the off-season. But so far he has NOT lived up to a max contract. a max contract player has to be a LEGIT all -star. I think most of us would agree that Horford has not played up to that level.
the fact that we have him here for max money for three more years AGES 31,32,33)
will be a problem for our cap IF he cannot play at an elite level.
I have waited while he overcame his concussion and while he got used to the Celtics and Stevens. But we are at the halfway point in the season and the time to start earning his money has come.
no more excuses, no more being passive (didn't we learn by Jeff Green?) time to STEP UP AL!!
kdp59- Posts : 5709
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Age : 64
Re: Al Horford, Boston Celtics big man, on struggles vs. New York Knicks: 'I have to be better'
by wideclyde Thu Jan 19, 2017 5:09 pm
I somewhat agree that Horford has not played yet like a max contract player, but I have no problem with a terrible game (last night) followed by his statement that "i need to play better".
So far, he is a very good player for the Cs. He will be even a better player for them when they are able to acquire another scorer who will either be a center or a wing type player.
So far, he is a very good player for the Cs. He will be even a better player for them when they are able to acquire another scorer who will either be a center or a wing type player.
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Re: Al Horford, Boston Celtics big man, on struggles vs. New York Knicks: 'I have to be better'
by kdp59 Thu Jan 19, 2017 6:19 pm
wideclyde wrote:I somewhat agree that Horford has not played yet like a max contract player, but I have no problem with a terrible game (last night) followed by his statement that "i need to play better".
So far, he is a very good player for the Cs. He will be even a better player for them when they are able to acquire another scorer who will either be a center or a wing type player.
my main problem with Horford IS that he gets max money for 4 years. Like it or not it will limit what Danny can do over the next 4 years. The cap will get another BIG increase next season, but after that the increases are not near as big. We will have to PAY Thomas and Bradley as well as maybe Kelly and Smart. IF we don't pay them market deals they will leave.
so the dream of getting another max player may end up being just that, a dream. Danny had to overpay to get Horford here, as of now he is not getting the return he needs on that payout.....IMO.
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Re: Al Horford, Boston Celtics big man, on struggles vs. New York Knicks: 'I have to be better'
by dboss Thu Jan 19, 2017 9:01 pm
A free agent like AH was going to command big bucks. Was he overpaid? Absolutely. He has never been an A+ player. He is not going to carry the team and he is not a go-to-guy, But he is a really solid player on a team that needed to upgrade their front line.
I believe we need to add a big physical center or a very strong PF to the mix.
I am afraid that Celtics fans are not going to be too happy with Al because they only think about how much money he is signed for.
His true value to this team is masked by a relatively inadequate front court. The Celtics MUST add a top front line player. (It will not be Cousins) Maybe they can get a young under-valued center or PF in a trade. I think I would really like to see them go after Okafor. Noel would be another option but it would still leave us weak at the 5. Maybe the Zizic kid can develop into a full time starter at center or maybe he is still 2-3 years away. No one knows for sure.
I also think it is important to understand that it is Brad Steven's responsibility to develop the offensive schemes that can best maximize a particular player's strength.
I am certainly not concerned that he had a bad night shooting the ball. I am more concerned about why should they rely on him to take that many three point shots particularly considering that the Celtics rebound the ball like a bunch of sissies. I would want my top big closer to the paint.
dboss
I believe we need to add a big physical center or a very strong PF to the mix.
I am afraid that Celtics fans are not going to be too happy with Al because they only think about how much money he is signed for.
His true value to this team is masked by a relatively inadequate front court. The Celtics MUST add a top front line player. (It will not be Cousins) Maybe they can get a young under-valued center or PF in a trade. I think I would really like to see them go after Okafor. Noel would be another option but it would still leave us weak at the 5. Maybe the Zizic kid can develop into a full time starter at center or maybe he is still 2-3 years away. No one knows for sure.
I also think it is important to understand that it is Brad Steven's responsibility to develop the offensive schemes that can best maximize a particular player's strength.
I am certainly not concerned that he had a bad night shooting the ball. I am more concerned about why should they rely on him to take that many three point shots particularly considering that the Celtics rebound the ball like a bunch of sissies. I would want my top big closer to the paint.
dboss
dboss- Posts : 18768
Join date : 2009-11-01
Re: Al Horford, Boston Celtics big man, on struggles vs. New York Knicks: 'I have to be better'
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