Horford a big fan of Zeller’s play off bench
CELTICS NOTEBOOK
Al Horford admits that he’s never had to worry about keeping himself ready despite spending long stretches of time on the bench.
That’s why the Celtics big man marvels at one of Tyler Zeller’s more remarkable attributes: consistency in the face of inconsistent playing time.
“It’s difficult. I’ve been very fortunate I’ve never been in that position, but it’s got to be difficult because you’re preparing every night like something’s going to happen,” Horford said. “It’s like the backup quarterback. Nothing’s there. But he’s managed it as well as I’ve seen. And then when he gets in there, he makes sure that he makes the most of it.”
That was certainly true of Zeller during the Celtics’ 109-100 win against the Indiana Pacers last night at the Garden.
Matchup needs led to the 7-footer logging important minutes for the second straight game. Zeller did little bit of everything, finishing with six points on 3-for-5 shooting, two assists, three rebounds and a blocked shot.
“It’s huge,” Horford said. “He’s physical. His presence. He’s playing with a lot of confidence. I said it last time, I just have a lot of respect for him. Just because it’s been hard knowing that you can be in there contributing, and he just keeps coming in like a professional, doing his work, staying ready. He’s getting the opportunity now and he’s showing it. He was huge for us tonight again.”
Put it to rest
From Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James to the Golden State Warriors’ four best players (minus the injured Kevin Durant), the NBA’s upper crust has turned the issue of rest into a dilemma, most recently addressed in a letter of alarm from commissioner Adam Silver.
The C’s haven’t been part of the issue, for the simple reason that after such an injury-filled season,
“Ever since I’ve been in the league, as you get closer to the very end, a lot of people are held out, especially the last week of the season as positioning is secure,” coach Brad Stevens said. “We’re all sensitive to the fact that someone is going to watch a game in TD Garden for the first time tonight. I don’t know if this is fortunate or unfortunate — probably unfortunate because you never want to have injuries — but we had a lot of injuries and got rest because we had to get rest. But I do think in the last week of the season it’s probably a little bit different. But I also understand as each team goes about it to best set themselves up for the postseason, (about) the idea and opportunities to get rest. ”
Tough to forget
Today marks the 10th anniversary of Butler’s loss to Florida in a Sweet 16 NCAA tournament game. Stevens was an assistant coach at the time on the Butler staff, and Horford was one of the stars on a Florida team on its way to a second straight national championship.
Horford turned in the back-breaker.
“Al Horford charged, he charged. I sent it to him when we first signed him,” Stevens said. “We had a one-point lead with three minutes to go or whatever, and we had a doctor and a dentist guarding Horford and ( Joakim) Noah, which was not ideal. Horford took one of our undersized 4’s, probably an undersized 3, who is now an assistant at Butler ( Brandon Crone), and took him from the 3-point line to the basket and got an and-one. And it was a charge. It doesn’t still irk me or anything.”
Said a smiling Horford: “I think that when you look back at the game and you’re the team that lost, you’re always going to find excuses and ways to try to (explain) something.”