{"id":612231,"date":"2026-02-19T19:50:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T19:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/612231\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T19:50:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T19:50:57","slug":"playing-with-al-horford-against-celtics-is-weird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/612231\/","title":{"rendered":"Playing with Al Horford against Celtics is ‘weird’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoston Celtics\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t“If somebody said that while we were in Boston, that this would be the scenario, who would believe this?”<\/p>\n

\"Al
\n\tAl Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in 2024. Barry Chin\/Globe Staff\t<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWarriors\u2019 Stephen Curry to miss Thursday\u2019s game against the Celtics\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat Steve Kerr, Al Horford said about adding Kristaps Porzingis to the Warriors\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Two years ago, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford were wearing green and competing to bring an NBA-record 18th championship back to Boston. <\/p>\n

On Thursday night, they\u2019ll welcome the Celtics<\/a> as visitors. After an offseason signing and a trade at the deadline, both Horford and Porzingis are now members of the Golden State Warriors.<\/p>\n

Thursday night will be Porzingis\u2019s first game in a Warriors uniform. He has been out for a month while dealing with POTS<\/a> and an Achilles\u2019 injury.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s going to be nice to see some former teammates and coaches, he said, but it will also feel strange. <\/p>\n

\u201cWeird. If somebody said that while we were in Boston, that this would be the scenario, who would believe this?\u201d Porzingis said.<\/a> \u201cBut this is how it works. It works out. Obviously we expect for Boston to have some changes with the remaining stuff, but yeah, it\u2019s going to be weird, especially first game back against Boston.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kristaps Porzingis on the Warriors: \u201cI like the offense. I like the simplicity. I like the freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said it\u2019d be \u201cweird\u201d to face Celtics tomorrow next to Al Horford pic.twitter.com\/kuoB26AJsl<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Porzingis was with the Celtics for two seasons. Horford had two stints in Boston, totaling seven seasons. Horford said the relationships he built with the Celtics over the years are still important to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get to see a lot of people that I care about, and we\u2019ll compete on the court and that goes on but after we\u2019ll be able to catch up with a lot of people,\u201d Horford said. \u201cIt\u2019s just very special to me. For me, it\u2019s a lot of excitement and my son Ian has been raving about seeing a lot of the guys and seeing a lot of the coaches. The whole thing, it will be cool to see everyone.\u201d <\/p>\n

This season is the first time Horford has played on the West Coast. His previous stops include Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Oklahoma City. He said the move to the Bay Area has been good for his family.<\/p>\n

Al Horford talked about what it\u2019ll be like to face his old Boston Celtics tomorrow tonight:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of excitement. My son Ian’s been raving about, seeing a lot of the guys and seeing a lot of the coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emphasized he\u2019s not surprised about their success this season. pic.twitter.com\/LjdZPwIjmK<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) February 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s obviously been different for us,\u201d Horford said.<\/a> \u201cBut it\u2019s been good. It\u2019s been good for [Ian], it\u2019s been good for us as a family. So, it\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry Thursday night. Curry is dealing with knee pain. Porzingis will be a versatile scoring threat for them. Head coach Steve Kerr said he anticipates Porzingis being an easy fit within the Golden State offense, and Porzingis seemed to agree.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the offense, I like the simplicity in a way, and I like the freedom,\u201d Porzingis said. \u201cThat\u2019s the hardest to guard because we don\u2019t even know what we\u2019re doing exactly a lot of times. It\u2019s just playing freely, but you have to have the talent to do that. If the whole team is back, it\u2019s unbelievable talent with this group.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut now, with what I\u2019ve seen, I really like the style and us as players have to take advantage of having this kind of offense and flow and things that we\u2019re allowed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

\t\tKhari A. Thompson<\/a>Sports Reporter\t<\/p>\n

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.<\/p>\n

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