East Conf. Finals Game 1 - Cleveland Cavaliers 83-108 Boston Celtics - 5 Talking Points

#3 News flash - 'Average Al' is not average

Horford scores past LeBron James

The mainstream sports media likes to drive narratives in favour of marketable stars, and sometimes they make it annoyingly against stars whose stats don't stand out. One prime example of that is their treatment of Al Horford - a 5-time All-Star, no less - who has been labelled as 'Average Al' because his stats aren't exactly similar to your typical All-Star - he doesn't average 20 points, or 10 rebounds, or drop dimes by the dozen.

But what he does do at a world-class level, is literally everything! In game 1 on homecourt at the TD Garden, Horford scored 20 points in 27 minutes of playing time. He literally didn't miss a single shot attempt from inside the arc, going 6-for-6 within 24 feet. He had his way against Kevin Love in the low post region, and he had a couple of sneakily good cuts that gave him buckets.

Horford's overall statline of 20 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks are indicative of how well he's played this postseason. He's been the rock around which the Celtics' roster is now sticking together and outplaying all of their opponents, and he always does exactly what is required of him during the game. Brad Stevens would surely be thanking his lucky stars for the day Horford decided to join the Celtics in free agency 2 summers ago.