Boston Celtics fans showering Al Horford with adoration showcases the class this fan base has

Despite the fact that the Boston Celtics are currently on a two-game losing streak, fans of the organization should feel a deep sense of pride, as they showcased true class when an old face came back as “foe” to the TD Garden.

A few nights ago, the Boston Celtics were riding high on a four-game win-streak, and were the victors of six of their previous seven contests. Now, as of December 13th, they find themselves starting a new streak, unfortunately in the losing column — two straight losses.

Thursday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers was a tough pill to swallow. They fell to their Eastern Conference foes to the tune of 115-109, and currently find themselves behind in the season series two games to none.

Many takeaways can be had from this unfortunate outing: Jayson Tatum‘s shooting woes are troubling; Boston’s defense needs to improve if they wish to legitimately contend; the team’s center position may need some tweaking.

Still, despite the various negative takeaways some may choose to focus on, there were many positive aspects to the contest as well: Kemba Walker is playing lights-out; Gordon Hayward managed to play despite injuring himself the game prior; Enes Kanter found his offensive groove off the bench.

However, perhaps the biggest plus from last night’s contest for the Boston Celtics, interestingly enough, came from none of the franchise’s personnel but, rather, it’s fan base.

Though last night’s contest was deemed “big” due to the fact that both Boston and Philadelphia are two of the favored teams to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, it was also a must watch for fans of the organization due to the return of former Celtics center Al Horford.

Horford, a 5x All-Star — two of which during his time in green & white — played three seasons with the Boston Celtics. He averaged 13.5 points, seven rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 blocks per game and was an integral part of Beantown’s playoff success over the years. Though he was never able to help the team achieve the ultimate goal of winning a championship, the C’s did manage to go as far as the Eastern Conference Finals on two separate occasions — one of which they came within one game of a Finals berth.

This past summer, after quite an underwhelming 2018-19 season in which the team was trounced in the second round of the playoffs, Horford decided his time in Mass was up and opted to sign a 4-year, $109 million deal with the 76ers. While some other fan bases may have been inclined to drown a former player, who made their way out of town, with disdain and scorn — *cough *cough, the New York Knicks with Kristaps Porziņģis — the loyal lot of Celtics fans in attendance for Horford’s return showered their former franchise big with nothing but love and affection.

C’s fans may be upset that they no longer have him at the team’s five spot — and I’m sure they missed him in this matchup against Joel Embiid — but they showed true class in welcoming him back with adoration.

Will Al Horford’s jersey be risen into the rafters at TD Garden when his career finally comes to a close? It is highly unlikely. Still, despite this, Boston Celtics fans view the vet’s tenure in “Title Town” as time well spent.