Tatum praises Horford's impressive Finals debut: 'Best teammate ever'

Boston Celtics big man Al Horford ended the NBA's longest active streak for most playoff contests without a Finals appearance in impressive fashion Thursday, earning praise from teammate Jayson Tatum.

"Al's like the best teammate ever. The ultimate professional," Tatum told reporters Saturday.

"Just to see how happy he was to get to this point, I felt like I had been playing forever," Tatum added. "Finally getting over that hump. ... I can only imagine what he was feeling getting to this moment."

Horford was Boston's leading scorer in its 120-108 Game 1 road victory against the Golden State Warriors, scoring 26 points while shooting 9-of-12 from the field and making six of his eight 3-pointers.

The veteran, who celebrated his 36th birthday Friday, has played some of the best basketball of his 15-year career this postseason. Over 18 games, he averaged 12.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. He also made over two long balls a game at a 46% clip.

"Playing basketball at this time of year is something that I've always wanted to do. ... It's been exciting for me," said Horford.

Horford's rejuvenation comes after two subpar seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder. He struggled to mesh with 76ers star Joel Embiid in Philadelphia and played only 28 games for the rebuilding Thunder before being benched for younger players.

"I knew that the time was going to come that I was going to be able to be in these type of positions and have this opportunity," said Horford. "And now that it's here, I'm just very grateful and really making the most of it."