May 29, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) and forward Sam Hauser (30) celebrate after the Celtics beat the Miami Heat in game seven of the 2022 eastern conference finals at FTX Arena. Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Al Horford passes undesirable NBA record to 76ers' Paul Millsap

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 5/30/22

Al Horford is officially in the NBA Finals for the first time in his career, and that also means he is free of one of the sport’s most undesirable records.

The Boston Celtics big man Horford clinched his first Finals berth with his team’s Game 7 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday. Horford had played 15 years in the league and 141 playoff games prior to making the Finals. With Horford finally getting himself off the list, the distinction for most playoff appearances without a Finals appearance now belongs to Philadelphia 76ers big man Paul Millsap.

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— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) May 30, 2022

Horford and Millsap, a pair of ex-All-Star bigs, were teammates for several seasons on the Atlanta Hawks. Joe Johnson, who is now second on the list with 120 playoff games and no Finals berth, also used to be a member of the Hawks. Atlanta had 10 straight playoff appearances from 2008-2017 but never got further than the Eastern Conference Finals.

Millsap, 37, is actually older than Horford, 35, and has also been in the NBA for longer, having just wrapped up his 16th season. Now a free agent in the summer, Millsap may be looking for a better shot at a title than he currently has in Philadelphia, especially since he was somewhat disrespected there this year.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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