Al Horford on His Potential Availability for Playoff Series with Raptors: "We're clear on it, and I'll be ready to play wherever."

Following Wednesday's game against the Heat, Al Horford addressed the speculation about his availability if the Celtics were to play the Raptors in the postseason.

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In the past few days, speculation has swirled about the vaccination status of Jaylen Brown and Al Horford. The latter spoke with the media following Wednesday's game against the Heat, creating an opportunity to ask Horford about those rumors and whether he'd be available to play if the Celtics draw the Raptors in the playoffs.

"We're clear on it, and I'll be ready to play wherever."

Whether the rumors are false, Horford got vaccinated recently, or plans on doing so in the immediate future, that's an encouraging statement.

Given the narrow margin of separation between the top four teams in the East, at the moment, it's too difficult to forecast where they'll finish. Currently, the Celtics are in fourth, two games out of first. The Raptors are in sixth, but they have the same record as the fifth-seeded Bulls. Chicago won the season series 3-1, meaning they hold the tiebreaker should it come down to that. In other words, there's a distinct possibility the Celtics draw Toronto in the first round of the playoffs.

As for the speculation surrounding Brown's vaccination status, when asked about that at the start of training camp, Brown, a vice president for the NBPA, said the NBA and the NBPA have done a "great job" on getting vaccinated.

“The WNBA is 99% vaccinated, and I think the NBA is over 90%. I think the NBA and the [players] union have done a great job. In certain states and certain entities, they’re not at that percentage level.”

“Everybody has their own thoughts about it,” Brown added.

Thursday, Ime Udoka got asked whether he should or has to influence players to get vaccinated.

"You don't have those discussions, honestly. It's a personal choice and everybody, it's up to them...Everyone knows the restrictions or whatever, and we leave that up to the guys."

Further Reading

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