Joel Embiid went off in his second game back for the Philadelphia 76ers, putting up 33 points on 12-for-23 shooting, with five of those 11 shots being outside the arc. Inside the arc, he dominated whoever the Boston Celtics threw at him in their Game 5 win. At times like these, it's hard not to think about the difference Al Horford could have made at a time like this.
So much stood out about Horford in his seven seasons in Boston, but among the best qualities he brought to the table was his individual defense on Embiid. If there was one player in the NBA who could mess up Embiid's rhythm, it was Horford.
It's why the prospect of another reunion should still intrigue Boston, even if Horford will be 40 in June. He has become more and more limited as Father Time has taken over, but his high basketball IQ remains intact, which can make him a thorn in Embiid's side until the 76ers star proves otherwise.
But focusing on now, Boston hasn't really had much of a defense for Embiid. Their best defense on Embiid is hope for the best when he's got the ball. That is a sad contrast to the earlier days when they had Horford to take him out of his element.
Celtics don't have to stop Embiid, but make him work
Embiid being as physically talented as he is is what makes him so impressive and what makes Horford's abilities to keep in check all the more mind-blowing. The key to slowing him down is to make him work on both sides of the floor.
Neither Nikola Vucevic nor Neemias Queta could really stop the freight train that was Embiid. However, he is still a beatable player overall. What also made Horford Embiid's worst nightmare was his floor spacing, which forced him to come out of the post to try to stop it.
Vucevic and Luka Garza are the closest thing the Celtics have had to a stretch big since Horford's (and Kristaps Porzingis') departure. The former is definitely taken more seriously than the latter in that department because he is more multifaceted, but Boston has to emphasize making Embiid move whenever he's on the floor.
Doing so tires him out. Granted, the Sixers are pushing their luck with how many minutes he's been playing, but Boston has to take advantage of that because his dominance on the offensive side of the ball is what pushed this series to a Game 6.
Horford used to be such a simple answer to such a complex problem in the past. Boston has been able to manage it without Horford in the past, but they've got a maximum of two games to figure out how to do it again.
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