NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 2, 2022

Al Horford

Boston Celtics

Game 1: Postgame

Celtics 120, Warriors 108

Q. Al, you had three after three after three when it mattered most. What allowed you to dig in, find that poise on this stage?

AL HORFORD: It was the way that we were moving the ball on offense, just being in those positions.

I felt like the guys kept finding me time after time. Also Derrick White hit some tough shots there, too. Yeah, it was just get the looks, knock 'em down, that's that.

Q. Ime mentioned in the fourth quarter you guys went small, started switching more, pre-switching more. Obviously it helped your defense. In terms of keeping Golden State off the offensive glass, was there anything you did differently in that fourth quarter, anything that kind of sparked your guys' rebounding?

AL HORFORD: Yeah, I think that we were able to do a better job with that, holding them off. And we have to be better for next game, making sure that we're not giving so many second-chance points and putting ourselves in bad positions.

I feel like in the fourth, to your point, I think the switching did help. That was good for us.

Q. Payton said you guys knew you were going to make the run, so that was the mindset. Once you take the lead with six minutes to go, what are you then saying to one another?

AL HORFORD: Just continue to play. That was our message throughout the whole game. They're such a good team. And for us, it was just, you know, continue to play no matter what.

And our guys, that's what we did. It wasn't our best game, but we continued to fight and find different ways to get this win.

Q. This is a new thing up here, obviously being up here with your son. I know this is obviously a special moment for you, being in the Finals. What caused you to want to do that?

AL HORFORD: What caused me to want to?

Q. Bring your son.

AL HORFORD: He just happened to be with me after the game today. He was sitting by the bench. He's here hanging out with me. I asked him if he wanted to come up, and he said, Yeah. So here he is.

Q. You guys all season have obviously had a lot of ups and downs, right? In the second half it sort of encapsulated the way your season has gone. How did you respond after the third quarter?

AL HORFORD: Yeah, Golden State really did a good job in the third. They're known for coming out in the third and being very aggressive.

I think that for us the key was Jaylen Brown, start of the fourth quarter, with the way he came out and played, with his energy and scoring, but also then Rob Williams gets a lob dunk. I just think that that was the start for us of something there.

It started with that fourth quarter group that started the fourth quarter, gave us that boost, that confidence. We just continued to plug away.

Q. You guys the last couple series wanted Giannis to shoot threes, you gave up some jumpers to Jimmy Butler. How much of a shock is it to then play against Curry, against Klay, guys you really have to be up in their airspace? How did you adjust to that as the game went along?

AL HORFORD: It's a huge challenge. It's something that we haven't seen, those type of guys. For us it's just almost -- our defense is versatile; we have a lot of guys that can defend different ways. It's been a big adjustment and it's not easy.

Steph came out just firing. We were there. He was making shot after shot. For us, it's just continuing to find ways to be better on the defensive end.

Q. It's been a journey for you to get to this point. This is your first Finals game. What were your emotions tonight in this game and what does it mean to you to have this kind of performance?

AL HORFORD: Just grateful for this opportunity. It's just going out there and playing basketball at the end of the day. That's just what it is (smiling).

Just grateful to be in this position. God has put me in this position, and it's something that I embrace and I'm excited about. Just excited to be able to share this stage with these group of guys. We have a lot of great guys here, guys that have really bought into what we're trying to do.

It's just fun to see all that come together.

Q. As recently as last round, Derrick White was telling us about how he felt he had to tiptoe his way to finding his place within your group. Was that anything you were aware of? What, if anything, did you guys do to sort of make him feel...

AL HORFORD: I wasn't aware of that. We love Derrick. What he's brought to our group, just his energy, his commitment to working hard. He continues to work no matter how is it going for him individually. He continues to prepare.

We have a lot of confidence in him. Thank you for telling me that. I'll make sure I address it. It's something that he just needs to go out there and play. We have the most confidence in him.

He was huge for us tonight, just his confidence, his energy was really good for us.

Q. You were with Jayson during his rookie year. Did you see the playmaking that he's developed in him early on back then? You've become a play-maker, too, over the course of your career. What does it take to reach that next level as a passer?

AL HORFORD: Yeah, there were some flashes early on. But he really -- it's such a challenge for guys like him, you know, top players in the league that are expected to score, to playmake, to defend, all those things. And Jayson does all those things.

His playmaking has gotten better steadily. Tonight it was just brilliant. Offensively he didn't really get it going scoring-wise, but then he was finding guys. He was reading the defense. It just shows his growth.

Even from earlier in the year, he just has continued to get better. He's the kind of guy that he's going to figure it out. One way or another, he's going to figure it out. We put a lot on him and he delivers. That's what he does.