Boston Celtics’ Al Horford sensational in finals debut

Veteran center Al Horford made the most of his NBA Finals debut on Thursday, scoring 26 points and making six three-pointers to lead the Boston Celtics to a stunning come-from-behind road win in Game One on Thursday.

The 36-year-old native of the Dominican Republic joined the league in 2007 and despite five All-Star appearances and a slew of awards, a trip to the Finals has long eluded him.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” Horford said after the 120-108 win over the Warriors in San Francisco.

“I know it’s different but I played on a similar stage in college and in those types of games, I just felt comfortable out there,” said Horford, who won two NCAA championships at the University of Florida.

Jun 2, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of game one of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center. / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

“And I wanted to project that to the group. I wanted to make sure that our guys came out here and played free. I wanted them to understand that this is just a game, so just go out there and have fun.”

Horford credited his teammates for not giving up despite trailing by 12 points coming into the final frame against a team that had not lost at home all playoffs long.

The team made a combined 21 three-pointers and five Celtics finished in double digits to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which continues with Game Two on Sunday.

“Just excited to be able to share this stage with this group of guys,” Horford said.

“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.”