The 39-year-old veteran made a counterattack! Horford s data surpassed Ma Long and became the 11th in history. How did he rewrite his destiny?

The 2024 NBA Finals are in full swing, and the 39-year-old Al Horford of the Celtics has once again become the focus.

This veteran, who is called "ball blind identifyer" by fans, quietly set a historical record in the fierce battle of G3 - the number of appearances in the playoffs surpassed the legendary Carl Malone and ranked 11th in history.

From the Dominican town to the finals stage, from the young Tanhua to the team's spiritual totem, Horford's career is like a counterattack epic, and at this moment, he is only one step away from his first championship in his life.

From the "American Championship" to the "Living Fossils of the Playoffs"

17 years ago, the young man who led the University of Florida to win two NCAA championships, entered the NBA with the halo of "the best inside of the United States".

Horford at that time might not have imagined that his career would be deeply bound to the word "persistence".

From the all-round star of the Hawks to the Celtics' locker room leader, he has experienced team reconstruction, controversy over 100 million yuan in contracts, and wandering around multiple teams, but he has always maintained a top-level competitive state.

When Oden of the same class died of injury and Durant had already achieved success, Horford used his 183 playoff games to engrave himself on the historical list.

Paragraph 2: Underrated "Team Adhesive"

"Mediocre data but indispensable" - this is the best footnote to Horford's career.

He can beat Antetokounmpo with 30 points in the tiebreaker game, and can also silently do dirty and tiring jobs in the finals of the game, assist in defense and support.

When Porzingis was injured, the 38-year-old resisted the pressure and served as the starting center to make up for the physical fitness gap with experience; when Tatum and Brown were in double-team, his accurate pick-and-roll and passes became the key to breaking the dilemma.

teammate Rozier once said: "He made the game simple, but never cared whether the spotlight shone on himself."

The "reverse growth" philosophy of veterans

In an era when the "magic ball theory" was prevalent, Horford's success was an alternative.

He was famous for his low-post offense in his early years, but he developed a stable three-point shooting later in his career, and even made 5 long shots in a single game. This transformation that keeps pace with the times has transformed him from a traditional center to a space-type fifth position.

What's even more rare is that he took the initiative to retreat to the second line, gave up the stage to Shuang Tanhua, and took on the responsibility of "on-field coach".

Stevens commented: "He is the decisive needle in the locker room. Young people always look at him when they panic."

The ultimate redemption of the soul of the championship team

17-year career, 5 All-Stars and 2 All-American champions, but they always missed the O'Brien Cup.

Horford's persistence is very similar to the real version of "The Old Man and the Sea" - he lost the tiebreak in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals and was hated in the 2022 Finals. He fell down again and again and stood up again.

When his peers retired and enjoyed life, he chose to use weight loss, diet adjustment, and exercise three points to extend his career.

teammate Conley sighed: "His persistence makes me believe that the end point of a veteran should not be retirement, but to touch the peak with dignity."

How do you view the value of "low-key cornerstone" players like Horford? If he wins this year, can he enter the Hall of Fame discussion? Welcome to share your views in the comment section and send blessings to this veteran who is facing a reversal!