Jae Crowder was certain the Boston Celtics had landed their first free-agent prize in nearly two decades, and teammate Isaiah Thomas wasn't arguing with him. The two players were huddled in an Atlanta hotel room after the Celtics delivered their late-night sales pitch to Al Horford at the start of free agency in July. The only question seemed to be whether they'd get a commitment quickly enough to sneak Horford onto the private plane waiting to take Boston's contingent to the Hamptons to meet with Kevin Durant. Horford navigated meetings with other teams before agreeing to a four-year, $113 million max contract with the Celtics. News arrived after the Celtics had departed their meeting with Durant, though Crowder and Thomas had been confident that Horford would choose Boston, but the official thumbs up from one of free agency's top prizes was still met with celebration throughout the organization. On Tuesday morning, Horford, 30, participated in his first formal practice with the Celtics, navigating a breezy walkthrough that kicked off the team's first two-a-day session of training camp. After spending his entire nine-year NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks, Horford was asked about stepping outside his comfort zone. "It's definitely a weird feeling, but I feel good," Horford said. "It feels right to be here. - See more at: http://www.espn.com/blog/boston/cel...l-horford-on-boston-it-feels-right-to-be-here
