Celtics’ Jayson Tatum pays tribute to Al Horford after Warriors move
The Boston Celtics will look like a completely different team this season after the moves that they made over the offseason. One move they made was not re-signing Al Horford
Jayson Tatum reposted the farewell message and put three crossed-fingers emojis on it, showing his respect for Horford. Those two won a championship together, and it's safe to say that Horford was Tatum's vet throughout most of his time in the league. Horford played several roles for the Celtics, as sometimes he would start, and other times, he would come off the bench.
He was the perfect player at his position for what the Celtics were trying to do, which is play space and pace basketball. He got a lot of good shots just off the fact that the defenses were keyed in on Tatum or Jaylen Brown. Now, the Celtics will have to find another player to find that same success this season, but unfortunately, Tatum may not be on the floor.
Al Horford shares why he joined the Warriors
It almost felt like everyone knew that Horford was going to sign with the Warriors this offseason, no matter how long it took. With Horford now with the team, he shared
“It’s a great opportunity to compete and to win at a high level,” Horford said via Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “When I think about the Warriors, I think about Steph and Draymond and Steve Kerr and seeing Jimmy Butler here. What he did in that second half of the season last year after the trade and how they’re playing. It wasn’t an easy decision for me to leave Boston, but if there was the place, that was this one, and it happened and I happened to give this opportunity, so I jumped at it.”
Horford may not get those same open opportunities like he did in Boston, but he's with an organization that knows how to win, and he can fit in anywhere. He'll most likely slot in as the starting center playing alongside Draymond Green, and that could work well on both ends of the floor.
Dodgers Make Final Decision on Shohei Ohtani Pitching During NLDS Series vs. Phillies
The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to repeat as MLB champions, but they will face a much tougher road this postseason.
They earned themselves a bye last season, however they dipped a bit and had to brave a trip to the National League Wild Card series this year.
The Dodgers easily knocked off the Cincinnati Reds in the series, winning by a combined nine runs in the two games.
Now, they will head East to take on the Philadelphia Phillies, but not before manager Dave Roberts made a big announcement .
Roberts told reporters in his postgame press conference that star pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani will take the mound for game one in Philadelphia.
Ohtani didn’t have the luxury of making the playoffs when he was with the Los Angeles Angels and was unable to pitch for the Dodgers last year because he was still recovering from an injury.
Now, he gets the opportunity to showcase his unprecedented talents on the game’s biggest stage.
The Japanese superstar has dominated both at the plate and on the mound in his career, but has ultimately been somewhat of a part-time pitcher due to frequent arm injuries.
Los Angeles did a tremendous job of managing his workload this season and now Ohtani will finally show his true impact. He is currently batting .333 with two home runs and four RBIs in just two games, so he is giving fans hope for a special playoff run.
The Phillies have a gauntlet of talented hitters — mainly infielders Bryce Harper and Trea Turner and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber — so Ohtani will have his work cut out for him.
The series between Los Angeles and Philadelphia begins this Saturday as two of the most expensive rosters in baseball face off.
With perennial All-Stars and MVP candidates across the board, the Phillies-Dodgers showdown could be one for the ages.
