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Jaylen Brown Lauds Al Horford For Big Performances Vs. Magic

The Boston Celtics' road to a 19th Larry O'Brien trophy took a big stride in their Game 5 win over the Orlando Magic. Jayson Tatum and Co. made sure that no one from the Paolo Banchero-led squad popped off en route to a 120-89 win. While many loved how the Celtics duo's outputs, it was Al Horford who served as the beating heart of this team.

Celtics fans know better than to be deceived by the numbers that Al Horford puts up. Despite just having nine points against the Magic in this NBA Playoffs clash, he was balling out for a good 34 minutes. His time on the court was astounding, considering his age, too.

Jaylen Brown took notice and outlined his amazement for the Celtics veteran, via Khari Thompson of The Boston Globe.

Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) high-fives guard Jaylen Brown (7).

“Tremendous effort from Al down the stretch in that second half. Big-time rebounds. Some big-time plays. That block was huge. He just did what it took to win. We don’t expect anything less. That’s just Al Horford in a nutshell," he said before the Celtics steamrolled the Magic in Game 5.

Horford is now 38 years old, but Coach Joe Mazzulla still starts and plays him a lot due to his insane veteran acumen. The leadership he learned from his time with the Florida Gators up to his current stint with the Celtics clearly shows in the NBA Playoffs.

Now, his next challenge will be whoever wins between the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks. Both squads have such athletic big men that will surely challenge the Florida basketball legend. Will he still be able to step up?

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