The suspension of Ime Udoka, head coach, just days before training camp began, led to the resignation of the team. CelticsCould have felt trapped by the storm. Instead, Al HorfordNevertheless, little has changed.
Horford has witnessed the same physicality at practice. The same teamwork that marked last season’s second-half surge. Although Joe Mazzulla, the interim head coach of the Celtics, has made some adjustments to their playing style and Horford stated that almost everything feels familiar.
“We have a lot of the same things we had last year,” Horford told The Athletic in a conversation on Monday. “I just think it feels like continuity for us, which is positive.”
Horford expressed his confidence that the Celtics are properly preparing for the regular-season opener on Oct. 18. Even with the shock of Udoka’s situation still fresh, Horford said the team has strung together several productive preseason practices. The veteran big man stated that he has not seen any signs of complacency after a trip to finals.
“Not skipping steps,” Horford said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I’ve been pretty pleased with our training camp, the focus and the commitment from each of our guys. The guys are doing the hard work. We’re not comfortable. I still feel that we have an advantage over the rest of our group. And I think that’s the biggest thing. Just because we did something doesn’t mean anything coming into the next year. We’re starting fresh and we have to build this thing back up again.”
Horford said the Celtics don’t mention their loss in the NBA Finals much. They didn’t make it a rallying cry at training camp or a regular theme throughout the preseason.
