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Al Horford Needs to Look for his Shot More

By Michael James

Apr 18, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) is guarded by Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) during the first quarter in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) is guarded by Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) during the first quarter in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
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The key to coming back in this series against the Bulls could be Al Horford.

The Celtics are down 2-0 going into Chicago this weekend. Things are looking bleak. Boston probably hasn’t played worse all season, and Chicago hasn’t played better than this. Nothing seems to be working on offense, and Rajon Rondo is shredding the Celtics defense.

The Celtics need to figure out something quickly, and that answer may be their 100 million dollar man Al Horford. Horford is the second most important player on the Celtics behind Isaiah Thomas. In Game 2, Horford only took eight shots. That isn’t even close to enough. He’s a talented offensive player, and looking for his shot more could turn this series around.

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Usually when the Celtics offense has struggled this season, it’s because they rely too heavily on Thomas. The opposing team keys in on that, and doubles Thomas off of every screen. In these situations, Horford isn’t used enough. He’s the best passing big in the NBA, and create his own shot.

In Game 1, Horford took 13 shots and scored 19 points. The Celtics didn’t win that game, but it was much closer than Game 2. Horford’s scoring keeps attention off of Thomas. Horford is the primary screen man for Thomas, so if defenses have to worry about anything besides the ball handler, #4 is going to rip them to shreds.

Apr 16, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) pumps his fist after hitting a three point shot as Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) looks on during the second quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) pumps his fist after hitting a three point shot as Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) looks on during the second quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

Here are the scoring numbers for Thomas and Horford in the first two games:

Game 1: Thomas-33 points, Horford-19 points

Game 2: Thomas-20 points, Horford-7 points

Usually when Horford does well, so does Thomas. The reason Thomas has averaged 29 points per game this year is because Horford has opened things up on the offensive end of the floor.

Robin Lopez has been one of the biggest problems for the Celtics in the series. Horford is the better player, so he’ll need to take Lopez to task consistently for Boston to make the series comeback. Maybe Horford can go into the post a bit more and get Lopez into foul trouble. If Lopez goes to the bench, Chicago’s rebounding prowess basically goes out the window.

Next: The Case for the Boston Celtics Going Small

The Celtics are in a big hole right now. They’ll have to win both games in Chicago to turn the series around, and I think that if Horford look for his shot more and get more aggressive on the offensive end, it will set a chain reaction for other aspects working out in Boston’s favor.

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