The Celtics Have Some Concerns. Al Horford? He Ain't One of the Them

The 36-year-old Horford has the NBA's best assists-to-turnover ratio (5.35) and is a shade behind Luke Kenard for the NBA lead in 3-point percentage. Yup, Big Al's ready for the playoffs folks!

SALT LAKE CITY – Minutes before tip-off, Al Horford was working up a good sweat on the treadmill. Prior to that, he had been lifting weights.

It was the kind of game day preparation we have seen Horford go through often on nights like this when this would be the only real work he would do basketball-wise.

The Boston Celtics have spent all season managing Horford’s minutes, keeping him off the court in back-to-back sets of games, while keeping his minutes in the 30-ish or less range for most games he played in. 

And as the Celtics try to tighten up their offensive sets and clean up a few things defensively, the least of their worries this year is Horford’s health.

In fact, it’s looking more and more like one of the team’s greatest strengths heading into the playoffs.