Al Horford

Nearly a decade before he’d ultimately claim his spot amongst the long line of big-game performers to don the Boston Celtics’ green-and-white, Al Horford’s storied postseason saga first began with a battle from the opposite side. Given little time to celebrate his franchise’s first postseason appearance since 1999 with a 66-win juggernaut entering town for Game Three, Horford provides the eventual NBA champions with a reminder of who cut the nets on the collegiate scene across back-to-back NCAA seasons. One late-game dagger away from blowing the roof off of Phillips Arena, Horford trusts his pedigree, shaking off Paul Pierce’s swat attempt before “calling game” with a 17-foot clincher. A standout performer on the 2008 NBA Playoffs’ youngest team, Horford — notably fearless in trash-talking Boston’s future Hall of Famers — soared in the must-win atmosphere, tossing in 17 points (on 7-of-14 shooting), 14 boards, six assists, one steal, and a game-high +18 plus-minus. Dealing Boston everything it could handle in a seven-game slugfest from the No. 8 seed, Horford’s versatile demonstration was a precursor of his future in Atlanta, headlined by nine consecutive playoff trips, one East Finals appearance, and four All-Star nods.

Rookie Year