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“He Pulled a Shaq”: Boston Celtics Star’s “Elite Shooter” Claim Gets Laughed at as Fans Show Their Support

Published 05/06/2023, 12:32 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Despite falling against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1, the Boston Celtics have now bounced back strongly. The Celtics outsmarted the 76ers in Game 3 and took a lead in the series, as the raucous Philadelphia crowd watched. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the side with 27 and 23 points, respectively. Apart from taking the series lead, the game was special for the Celtics star Al Horford for another reason as well. The veteran had an incredible reply to getting laughed at prior to the game.

Hours before Game 3 started, Al Horford was prompted to make a claim about his shooting skill set. Though the 36-year-old got laughed at for his confident claim, the fans are now rushing in with their support for him.

Boston Celtics star provokes laughter with a claim about his shooting skill

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Al Horford has undoubtedly been surprising hoops fans with his clutch displays. Besides, when it comes to three-point shooting, the 5x-NBA All-Star has aged like fine wine. However, these heroics were a story of the regular season. The veteran has not been able to live up to his reputation during the postseason. A reporter pointed out that Horford’s shooting skill set has gone a bit awry during the Playoffs.

USA Today via Reuters

After pointing out Horford’s shooting inconsistency, the reporter asked him if anything was different for him in the postseason. The 26-year-old star, however, gave a confident reply. “Not much difference really. I am still getting good looks, and I will continue to shoot them. Even throughout the season, you know I went through ups and downs. That’s just the part of it when you’re an elite shooter,” said Al Horford.

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Upon hearing the words “elite shooter” the reporter burst out laughing. “You’re laughing. You don’t think I am an elite shooter? My numbers don’t support it?” Horford asked the reporter.

NBA on ESPN posted a video of this exchange on YouTube. Numerous fans have rushed to YouTube with responses on the incident. Turns out fans have Horford’s back, despite the reporter laughing at the Celtics star.

NBA fans have Al Horford’s back

It is now safe to say that Al Horford has lived up to his reputation. The 36-year-old closely followed the top scorers, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Horford contributed 17 points to the important Game 3 win. The veteran made five three-pointers while tallying those 17 points. Perhaps the display was a statement comeback for Horford, whose shooting skill set provoked laughter the other day. Moreover, NBA fans have shown that they are on Horford’s side and not on the reporter’s. “He pulled a Shaq, like, ‘you laughing a lil too hard back there,’” commented a fan, bringing in Shaquille O’Neal to the discussion.

Here are some of the comments from fans.

“al horford been a great shooter lmao. never forget who was the only celtic who showed up in game 6 vs GSW last year. Crazy how his game’s evolved over the years for his age.”

“not just an elite shooter, but an elite CLUTCH shooter… he has had so many great 4th quarters in big games.”

“His a pro basketball player , he can shoot. His form is a different story.”

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“One of the best Center in NBA now, salute to Alhorford.”

Imagine being a basketball reporter and not knowing Horford shoots tho. gotta be Gen Z.”

“And Al took that personally.”

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“We forget that Al is a 5 time All Star, probably one of the most solid veterans around. I guess it would be what you consider elite.”

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Written by:

Krishna Prasad M

980Articles

One take at a time

Krishna Prasad is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He holds professional qualifications in English and Journalism from reputed institutions. As a trained reporter, Krishna's intense passion for sports writing prompted him to become an NBA journalist.
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Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth