Al Horford ages like fine wine. It takes a special mindset to get the lauds in a championship team despite not being able to put up numbers game after game. At 38 years of age, Big Al entered the court as a seasoned veteran whose performance belied his years. Let’s not talk about the everyday box numbers, ’cause they won’t sell the full story. With a monstrous 5 blocks against Orlando, he joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only two players in NBA history to register five blocks in a playoff game at 38 or older. Eternal greatness. And his team loved every bit of his 35 minutes.

“Tremendous, tremendous effort from Al, you know, down the stretch in that second half. Big time rebounds, some big time plays. That block was huge. You know, he just did what it took to win. So I wouldn’t expect nothing less. That’s just Al Horford in the nutshell,” said Jaylen Brown. Horford only knows how to come up clutch- anything less is failure.

When Jrue Holiday was confirmed to be out, it was Big Al’s time to shine. The 17-year veteran is still playing big time for the reigning champs. THE leader in the locker room, but also the hardest worker on the court. His tireless work helped the Celtics out of a sticky situation where they caught themselves tied at 91 points with 4 minutes to go in the last quarter. Then came the linkup with Jayson Tatum, going on a run that eventually gave them a 9-point dub. And coach Joe Mazzulla was quick to give him the overdue credit.

“Tonight, it was the blocked shot that he had with six on the shot clock right in front of our bench. Multiple blocked shots, being in the paint helping and getting out to shooters,” Joe Mazzulla told Hardwood Houdini post-game. “There should be a separate stat sheet for guys like him and the stuff that he does, but, brought got an offensive rebound, for us there in the fourth quarter, just an unbelievable competitor, made all the plays necessary to help us win.”

But the Greens came up against an opponent they didn’t fully expect. They underestimated the Magic in Game 3, losing out 95-93. So coming into this game, all eyes were on Mazzulla’s ways of working their way into a win. We got a taste of it in the 3rd game, despite the result. What were these secret tactics?

Joe Mazzulla and Boston Celtics eyes for better transition rate over sharpshooting

The Celtics didn’t seem to prefer shooting this time around. This was the second straight game they took fewer three-pointers than in any game during the regular season. So with just 31 3PA, the media did question- why was this the case? Was there a specific methodology being followed, or were they lacking overall sharpness, considering they only made 9 of those 31? According to Joe Mazzulla, the type of shots doesn’t matter as long as the transition rate is good.

“I mean, at the end of the day, it’s about getting the best shot possible… Our transition rate was higher because we followed less and we rebounded better. So we able to get out in transition and get to our spots faster, get to our spacing faster and execute. So it doesn’t really matter what type of shots we take as long as they’re the right shots versus the matchup and the coverages and we fight for those,” said the Boston gaffer.

Tatum let the front line brilliantly, with a 37/14/3 double-double in 42 minutes. Having better transitions would put all the pressure on their star forward to bring it home. But despite his injury situation before the game, he showed his ability to eat pressure for breakfast, and still have an appetite after. Even Jaylen Brown came up huge with his own 21/11 double-double. They’re usually on point with their 3Pt shooting. But Game 4 just showed their adaptability in the face of adversity.

The Celts were given a tough challenge. They realised their shooting wasn’t gonna get them a series win against Orlando. So what did they do? Pay more attention to transitions, and rely on key attackers like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Al Horford‘s masterclass was just an added benefit- and a relief on any defensive worries Mazzulla would’ve had.