Al Horford had 10 points and two rebounds in the Celtics' Game 6 loss to the Knicks Friday night.
Al Horford had 10 points and two rebounds in the Celtics' Game 6 loss to the Knicks Friday night.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
When Al Horford helped the Celtics to an NBA championship last June, questions were ignited about whether the 38-year-old would retire after achieving the only major basketball goal that had eluded him.
Within days, though, Horford made it clear he intended to return to chase a second consecutive title, and he sounded surprised that anyone had considered another possibility.
On Saturday afternoon, in the wake of Boston’s season-ending loss to the Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Horford was asked again about his future. This time, he was noncommittal.
“For me, it’s just too soon to talk about that stuff,” Horford said. “I’m going to take some time here with my wife and my kids and it’s just that, I mean, it’s not even been a day, so there’s still a lot for me to process, and just feeling everything out from last night. That was difficult.”
This time, in addition to the fact Horford is a year older, the Celtics’ outlook is cloudier. Superstar forward Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles’ tendon in Boston’s Game 4 loss to New York last Monday and could miss all next season. Furthermore, the team’s projected salary and luxury tax bill of nearly $500 million and standing above the salary cap’s second apron could lead to changes.
Horford, who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, was asked whether Tatum’s situation would factor into his decision.
“I just think everything is just still very fresh for me,” he said. “Those are all things that I’ll be thinking about these next few weeks.”
Other Celtics had no hesitancy when speaking about their veteran big man Saturday. They remain hopeful he will return to Boston for another season. Backup center Luke Kornet, also an unrestricted free agent, called Horford the best teammate he’s ever had and “a great leader.”
“You want to cherish every single year that you have an opportunity to even play with a guy like that,” Kornet said, “because it is rare and not common to be able to have that experience.”
Sam Hauser said he has been taking mental notes while watching Horford for years, particularly the way he balances his dedication to the team with being a loving father of five.
“I appreciate him and obviously we would love to have him back,” Hauser said. “But I’m sure he’s going to take his time and do what’s right for him. Whatever he decides, that’s the right decision.”
When Payton Pritchard was asked about Horford, he let out a long exhale before answering.
“I mean, you can’t replace Al,” Pritchard said. “So, I definitely hope we can get that figured out, because just his locker room presence alone is crucial. And then having him on the court, just for all the young guys to see how he goes about his business, how professional he is, he’s just a leader. So, we definitely need him back.”
Ones that got away
Horford was more expansive discussing the Celtics’ season-ending 119-81 loss at Madison Square Garden Friday night. He lamented the first two games of the series, when the Celtics coughed up 20-point second-half leads at home and fell into a surprising 2-0 hole.
“We outplayed them completely,” Horford said. “And then we had those lapses where we let them take over the game and we couldn’t recover. And I feel like that really put us in a tough position. And it was just very hard to recover from that point.
“I felt like, obviously, [Friday] night they dominated us. But up until then, I felt like we were the better team. Ultimately, they found a way to beat us. But I think those first two games absolutely shaped everything, in my eyes.”
Surgery for Brown?
All-Star forward Jaylen Brown’s athleticism was limited by knee pain over the past few months. Brown did not rule out the possibility of undergoing surgery this summer.
“Nothing to talk about right now, but we’ll see the next steps,” he said. “You just sit back and process and see what the next steps are.”
Point guard Jrue Holiday, who tore a tendon in his pinkie finger in late February and played through the injury for months, said his finger is now fully healed and will not require surgery.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.