Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from comeback win over Grizzlies

1. When Al Horford is hitting his 3s, this team in unstoppable

I know, it seems obvious. But it’s true: When the team’s third-best player hits his shots, the overall ceiling for the team skyrockets. With Al Horford, who has had his inconsistencies this season from behind the arc, the pick-and-pop game is everything to a team filled with talented slashers and finishers that need their space in the paint.

When Kyrie has the ball in a pick-and-roll/pop situation with Horford as the roll man and a traditional big guarding him, the team is going to get a great shot every time. If Horford reads the defense and pops to the 3-point line, the defender will either follow him out there or collapse on Kyrie. Irving generally can’t get the shot off when he is being double covered by at least one big in the paint, but with the threat of Horford shooting, opposing teams are forced to either double Kyrie and leave a wide open Horford, or let Irving go one-on-one with a defender.

This only works when Horford is hitting with consistency, though. Without the threat of Horford from outside, teams won’t feel the need to spread their defense thin and won’t allow Irving to get going from inside a packed paint.

I’ve already established Jayson Tatum as Boston’s second-best player, though Horford may be second only to Kyrie in terms of their importance to the Celtics. His defense is well-documented and invaluable, but his playmaking and shooting can take the offense from ho-hum to direct competitors with the Golden State Warriors. With so many talented players surrounding him at all times, it is important Horford gives them the spacing needed to allow their games to flourish.

The Grizzlies game proves just how lethal this Boston Celtics team is when Horford is shooting well. Hitting five of his seven 3s, Horford dragged former Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol out of the paint and allowed for the likes of Kyrie and Marcus Morris to score Boston back into the game. When Horford is dragging out elite defenders to the 3-point line, the floor becomes wide open for Kyrie, Tatum, Hayward, Morris and the rest of the team.