WEBVTT - Posted Up! | Al Horford

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<v Speaker 1>In the wake of the coronavirus, everyone has had something

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<v Speaker 1>taken away, at least for now. It could be a

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<v Speaker 1>favorite activity or simply a normal sense of security. In

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<v Speaker 1>the case of Al Horford, he's also gotten something back time,

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<v Speaker 1>and not just time in general, but coveted time with

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<v Speaker 1>his wife and kids. Having this time with them, it's

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<v Speaker 1>something that I don't think it would ever happen, so

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<v Speaker 1>it's brought me closer to them. If you like Horford

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<v Speaker 1>and are also living out this crisis with some of

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<v Speaker 1>the people you love the most, you know how fortunate

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<v Speaker 1>you are. Orford has been grinding away at a successful

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<v Speaker 1>All Star career for thirteen years. Last five he's worn

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<v Speaker 1>the three cornered cap of pro baller husband and dad

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<v Speaker 1>every other hour, and I gotta be giving them snacks

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<v Speaker 1>or drinking a lot of water jews like, it's just

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<v Speaker 1>kind of thing. Horford is certainly doing his part to

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<v Speaker 1>stay ready during the NBA's hiatus, sometimes working out twice

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<v Speaker 1>a day, but he's also making sure to make the

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<v Speaker 1>most of a situation he considers a silver line. You'll

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<v Speaker 1>appreciate life a lot more. You want to do good

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<v Speaker 1>to your kids, and you want to be a great

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<v Speaker 1>example for them. This is Posted Up with Al Horford.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to the latest installment of Post It Up, presented

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<v Speaker 1>by Caesar's Online, a mini cast series here on the

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<v Speaker 1>broadcast checking in on the seventy six ers during the hiatus,

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<v Speaker 1>with new episodes coming your way every week. I'm Brian Seltzer.

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<v Speaker 1>If you'll bear with me for just a moment, I

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<v Speaker 1>want you to take yourself to a place in your mind,

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<v Speaker 1>that fictional place you probably visited countless times in your childhood,

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<v Speaker 1>or perhaps as the parent of a kid who couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>get enough of the Pride Lands. It's dawn in the

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<v Speaker 1>African desert and an excited young cub is bounding around

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<v Speaker 1>the Royal Lions Dead. He's absolutely relentless, pestering his peacefully

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<v Speaker 1>sleeping pops, jumping on him, nudging him, telling him to

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<v Speaker 1>get up, Get up, Get up. Dad snorts, he groans,

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<v Speaker 1>tries his best to shrug the kid off his back,

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<v Speaker 1>but the kid won't stop. Finally Dad gives him. King

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<v Speaker 1>Mufassa rises reluctantly, and he and his air apparent, Simba,

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<v Speaker 1>set off, ready for the day's adventure. We're alluding, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>to one of the memorable scenes from Disney's classic film

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<v Speaker 1>The Lion Kid, both the original and the recent remake,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was the first image that popped into my

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<v Speaker 1>head when I talked to Al Horford about what life's

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<v Speaker 1>been like in isolation in his Philadelphia partment. He wakes

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<v Speaker 1>up on the early side, and then it is off

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<v Speaker 1>to the races. Man. This squad of three wears you out, man,

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<v Speaker 1>like it really does. Like it's completely different. Horford and

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<v Speaker 1>his wife Ameilia have three children, Ian who's five, Aliyah, three,

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<v Speaker 1>and Ava who's one and a half. During our zoom,

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<v Speaker 1>Ian Horford's oldest is moving in and out of the picture. Sorry,

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<v Speaker 1>got my son here playing around. It's it's it's a

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<v Speaker 1>full time John, especially when you have, you know, younger kids.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, you have the five, the three and the

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<v Speaker 1>one and have like you gotta be constantly watching them

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<v Speaker 1>all the time, especially the one and a half in

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<v Speaker 1>my three year old that the five year old, he's

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<v Speaker 1>a little more independent now, but but just going chasing

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<v Speaker 1>them around and playing with them and entertaining and being aware.

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<v Speaker 1>And it's it's a lot. It's great, but it's definitely

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<v Speaker 1>definitely takes this toll. These are feelings that most parents

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<v Speaker 1>out there right now can probably relate to, especially if

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<v Speaker 1>you've got kids around the same age as Horford's. Here's

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<v Speaker 1>how a typical day goes for the thirty three year old.

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<v Speaker 1>Kids wake me up in the morning, so I'm hanging

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<v Speaker 1>out with them, will have some breakfast, play games with

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<v Speaker 1>them and things like that. And then what I've been

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<v Speaker 1>doing is I usually spend like the morning part with

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<v Speaker 1>them doing around them stuff, playing basketball, We're coloring, we're

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<v Speaker 1>doing different things and uh, and then you know, then

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<v Speaker 1>we put I put him down for an early in

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<v Speaker 1>the afternoon, and then after that I get to work lifting, conditioning.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, I will ahead and get it in. Then

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<v Speaker 1>I try to get a little rest. Then in the evening,

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<v Speaker 1>hang out with them a little more. Really, my wife

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<v Speaker 1>and I just finding things to do for them. Right

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<v Speaker 1>after the kids go down for the night, Horford often

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<v Speaker 1>fits in a second workout well, then sneaking some time

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<v Speaker 1>reading or bitching before calling it one jam pack day.

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<v Speaker 1>It's kind of like a cycle. We do it every day.

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<v Speaker 1>It's kind of you know, it's very similar. Since becoming

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<v Speaker 1>a father a little more than five years ago, Horford

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<v Speaker 1>says he's always been conscientious about striking the best possible

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<v Speaker 1>balance between the demands of his job and the demands

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<v Speaker 1>of the home front, kind of dividing. You know, all

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<v Speaker 1>those things all that time, and you know, if I

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<v Speaker 1>have something else that I need to do, if I

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<v Speaker 1>know that I'm going to be gone for a week

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<v Speaker 1>with the team, I just know that I have to

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<v Speaker 1>make sure that I always give, you know, the family

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<v Speaker 1>the time that they need. So like that's something that

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<v Speaker 1>I'm always big on. Obviously, I have to make sure

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<v Speaker 1>that I do my job, that I do it well,

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<v Speaker 1>that I put in all the time, and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>my wife understands that, so it kind of you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm able to do everything I need to do, take

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<v Speaker 1>care of my body, do everything, but I always try

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<v Speaker 1>to find time to make for them and spend good

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<v Speaker 1>quality time with my kids. There's no real guidebook to

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<v Speaker 1>mastering the juggling act that Horford subscribing, and you don't

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<v Speaker 1>have to be a professional basketball player to grasp this concept.

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<v Speaker 1>You just have to be a parent or a guardian.

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<v Speaker 1>From my own experience so far in two years as

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<v Speaker 1>a dad, it kind of comes down to figuring out

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<v Speaker 1>how to make things work, which might sound easy, but

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<v Speaker 1>don't be full. I think he's one of the best

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<v Speaker 1>dad that I ever meant. This is a relistornelso the

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<v Speaker 1>understandably proud momb of Al Horford. My dad is amazing.

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<v Speaker 1>My grandpa wasn't amazing that too. I have uncles to that.

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<v Speaker 1>But how is the type of that really cares everything.

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<v Speaker 1>Horford grew up in the Dominican Republic in a household

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<v Speaker 1>with two parents who invested a lot in their own careers.

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<v Speaker 1>His dad, Tito, was a basketball player, while Aurelis was

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<v Speaker 1>a trailblazing sports journalist. Perhaps Horford picked up what seems

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<v Speaker 1>like a natural parenting touch through some kind of osmosis

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<v Speaker 1>in the nvironment. He fits the baby playing together, watching

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<v Speaker 1>maybe some videos or the cartoons together with the kids.

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<v Speaker 1>When they start talking, is around because he won't. They

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<v Speaker 1>learned to speak Spanish, so he's involved in everything, and

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<v Speaker 1>even more so now obviously with the nbac's to suspend

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<v Speaker 1>having this time with them, it's something that I don't

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<v Speaker 1>think it would ever happened. So it's brought me closer

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<v Speaker 1>to them, and I've gotten to know them so much more.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I already always made conscious efforts to spend

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<v Speaker 1>time with them. But now it's like, you know, we're

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<v Speaker 1>here and we get to really, you know, spend a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of quality time with them. At first, that might

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<v Speaker 1>sound like a funny thought. How can you get to

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<v Speaker 1>know your kids better? I mean, you're their dad after all, right,

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<v Speaker 1>But again, if you're going through the pandemic with your

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<v Speaker 1>family right now, you probably get what Horford means. You

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<v Speaker 1>just spend so much time around the people in your

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<v Speaker 1>household that you start to pick up on more and more.

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<v Speaker 1>What are some of the things Horford's discovering about his crew.

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<v Speaker 1>They eat a lot, and they eat constantly. I've always

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<v Speaker 1>been around, and I know that there are a certain way,

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<v Speaker 1>but like I feel like they've gotten taller, and it

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<v Speaker 1>seems like they've already grown a couple of inches, but

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<v Speaker 1>they just constantly I'm giving him snacks after they eat.

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<v Speaker 1>It's like, you know, I want you know, cereal, I

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<v Speaker 1>want yogurt, I want you know, whether it's water, apple juice,

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<v Speaker 1>like different things like that, But they're constantly eating. That's

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<v Speaker 1>like the one thing that that's been very obvious to

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<v Speaker 1>me since I've been home. Horford's finding his five year

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<v Speaker 1>old is at an age where the two can bond

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<v Speaker 1>over the sport that's long been part of the family pedigree.

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<v Speaker 1>My son is getting into basketball more and more so

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<v Speaker 1>right now, I start watching film and I put one

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<v Speaker 1>of our games on, and he starts shooting immediately on

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<v Speaker 1>his hoop, and then he wants to play against me,

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<v Speaker 1>and he wants to do like the whole game ceremonies

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<v Speaker 1>to jump ball and the free throws and the tie mouths,

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<v Speaker 1>and you know, he's into all that stuff. So now

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<v Speaker 1>my daughters are kind of wanting to get involved. To

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<v Speaker 1>under normal circumstances, there's a pretty good chance that at

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<v Speaker 1>this time of year, Horford's family would still be watching

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<v Speaker 1>him play basketball for real instead of simulating games with

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<v Speaker 1>him around the house. In his first year with the

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<v Speaker 1>seventy Sixers, Horford was on track to make it thirteen

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<v Speaker 1>playoff appearances in thirteen seasons. Just before play stopped in

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<v Speaker 1>the middle of March, his productions started to pick up

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<v Speaker 1>and his role was becoming more defined. The Sixers. They

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<v Speaker 1>go into him, beat, he turns and nobody had Horford

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<v Speaker 1>in a baseline jab. Great play by Al Horford to

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<v Speaker 1>beat with a high low pass at Al Horford with

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<v Speaker 1>a jab the final game before the high against Detroit

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<v Speaker 1>at the Center, Horford put up twenty points, ten rebounds,

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<v Speaker 1>six assists, and two blocks. A vintage Al Horford line

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<v Speaker 1>well as front corp partner Joel Embiid went for thirty

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<v Speaker 1>and fourteen. That was an encouraging son. I was one

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<v Speaker 1>of those games that you know that it was. It

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<v Speaker 1>was statistically and everything and just the way that it

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<v Speaker 1>went and it felt it was probably the best game.

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<v Speaker 1>Horford's well aware of the expectations that surrounded him and

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<v Speaker 1>the seventy sixers heading into this season. One of the

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<v Speaker 1>things I said, what the more games that we all

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<v Speaker 1>get to play together that I think the better things

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<v Speaker 1>will be and we can actually be what those expectations.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, we're from our group. But until Horford and

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<v Speaker 1>the team get a chance to prove that, they'll continue

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<v Speaker 1>taking advantage of all the time he can get with

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<v Speaker 1>his kids being dad, it's just cool. It's really cool.

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<v Speaker 1>They really gravitate towards um, you know, sports and wanting

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<v Speaker 1>to be active, or they see me working out and

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<v Speaker 1>they want to join in and uh, you know, do

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<v Speaker 1>some stretching with me, do some push ups, little things

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<v Speaker 1>like that. So that's the fun part about being an athlete.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm being her dad. This has been posted up with

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<v Speaker 1>Al Horford, presented by Caesar's Online. Be sure to check

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<v Speaker 1>out Lauren Rosen's article about Al that's also part of

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<v Speaker 1>our post It Up Hiatus content series. Thanks to Lauren,

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<v Speaker 1>Christian Crosby, and Telor Moyer for their help producing this episode.

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<v Speaker 1>Our music is courtesy of Universal Production Music and the

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<v Speaker 1>YouTube Audio Library. Next time, we'll post up with Mike

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<v Speaker 1>Scott and Holmatistible has served as a virtual inspiration of sorts.

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<v Speaker 1>We had a zoom call for coach Probablight a week

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<v Speaker 1>and a half ago, and that's how I figured out

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<v Speaker 1>how to make a stupid background and I picked my rook.

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<v Speaker 1>My god man, I'm Brian Seltzer. Thanks for listening. Be

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<v Speaker 1>sure to search seventy six ers podcast network wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>get your pods, and if you've got the time, leave

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<v Speaker 1>us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. It helps

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<v Speaker 1>a lot. Talk to you next time. See you're still there,

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<v Speaker 1>just hanging on a few more seconds. Got to talk

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<v Speaker 1>to you about Caesar's Online dot com, our new presenting partner.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah of our Posted Up content series, which we are

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