Dwane Casey sees Boston Celtics forward Al Horford as an opponent to be figured out, a rival to be beaten, a puzzle to be solved.
None of that diminishes the respect the Toronto Raptors coach has for Horford.
“All the stuff he does is unassuming, not with flash but efficiently, he’s kicking your butt,” Casey said of the 31-year-old Horford, who the Raptors faced at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday. “He has all the respect, I think, of all the coaches around the league for what he does for their team.”
Horford is one of the very good under-the-radar players, at least in the public eye, because of the way he goes about his job.