Al Horford, the Celtics’ elder statesman, delivered a throwback effort in Game 5 - The Boston Globe (2024)

And defensively the Cavaliers decided allowing Horford to shoot open 3-pointers was the best strategy against an elite offense, and Horford missed all 10 of his attempts in the two games in Cleveland.

But Cleveland wasn’t prepared for a throwback effort from Horford, who uplifted his team when it struggled with energy against a shorthanded opponent, consistently burning its disrespectful defense by making those open 3-pointers.

The Celtics didn’t need to win pretty, they just needed to win to close out this series. Horford sparked a fourth-quarter run with his enthusiasm, rebounding and a pair of threes in the 113-98 win. A game Cavaliers team missing Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen pushed the Celtics deep into the fourth quarter, but the oldest man on the floor was the best man on the floor when it counted.

“Tonight was a special night for our group because we had this chance to close it out here at home, for me the biggest thing was just bringing energy,” Horford said. “I felt like we lacked it in the first quarter and when I came back in the second, I felt like we needed to step it up. We were talking about it a lot in the huddle that we really weren’t getting it done and we had a great opportunity to handle this. I knew it was going to take a lot more than just playing a normal game.”

He was anything but normal, finishing with 22 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocked shots. He was a team-high plus-26 as the Celtics won the final three games of this series to claim their third consecutive berth in the Eastern Conference Finals.

“He made shots and he’s a winner,” Cleveland coach JB Bickerstaff said. “I can’t say enough about the way that he played tonight, just watching him chase down loose balls, make extra effort plays. He understood the moment and had the ability on both ends of the floor to impact winning at a high level. I thought he was phenomenal, not only from a shot-making standpoint but what it takes in the trenches and winning plays.”

Horford has been one of the team’s spiritual leaders in both of his stints as a Celtics, becoming a mentor for his younger teammates, showing them examples with his professionalism and work ethic, a master class in how to endure in a young man’s league.

“As a father, I’m very proud of him because I know what it takes to do what he’s doing,” said Tito, who played in the NBA and overseas. “The way he prepares himself, the way he conducts himself, the way he focuses, when I see him put in the work day and night, I say, now I wonder why you play in the league for so long, because he works so hard.”

Since Horford’s return to Boston in 2021, the Celtics have limited his minutes, held him out of the second of back-to-back games and monitored his regular-season stints to prepare him for the postseason. With Kristaps Porzingis out with a calf injury, Horford assumed more responsibilities, more minutes and a bigger role.

There are nights when the increased minutes may wear on Horford’s body, when he may short-rim an open jumper or be a step slow on the pick-and-roll. But it’s not from a lack of conditioning or effort or desire. He’s played in more than 1,200 games, 177 of those in the postseason. The body occasionally shows signs of age.

But just when it appears Horford is playing on borrowed time, he responds with a masterpiece like this.

“It’s nothing short of special,” Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said. “Al is like a brother to me, somebody I love dearly. I’ve had the pleasure of being his teammate six out of my seven years. I give Al a lot of credit in how he’s transitioned and adapted his game to play a major role and a huge impact. I’ve watched Al, how professional he is, how he carries himself, how he takes care of his body.

“I’ve stolen a lot of things from Al throughout my career, just having a routine every single day knowing what, whether it’s game day or off day, practice day, having a plan of what are you going to do to get better today.”

There isn’t a more popular teammate in the Celtics locker room than Al Horford and he continues to impress and astonish his younger teammates with his ability to impact crucial games at an advanced age. But then again, we should be used to this by now because he’s been the model of professionalism.

Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.