Horford injures finger (X-rays negative), will play Game 2 vs. Nets
ATLANTA -- Al Horford wasn't shy about it: He doesn't like the feel of two fingers taped together on his shooting hand.
But that temporary discomfort is a small price to pay, in his mind, compared to the notion of spending too much time on the Atlanta bench.
In the Hawks' 99-92 victory over the Brooklyn Nets -- Atlanta's playoff opener -- Horford incurred a painful, but playable injury with his right pinkie finger.
(In the postgame, the forward/center said the X-rays were negative.)
"It's still blurry for me," said Horford, when pressed to recall the specific play in which he grabbed a rebound but somehow bent the pinkie back.
But it wasn't enough to keep him out of action.
"It definitely affected me, having the tape around my finger -- especially my shooting hand," said Horford, who tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes (plus-13 on-court ratio). "It was very uncomfortable to shoot the ball."
That may have been the case internally, but externally, Horford was still one of five Hawks to register at least five made field goals against the Nets -- the 8-seed in the East playoffs.
And now, Horford will have two full days to rest up and ice down the finger, in advance of Game 2 on Wednesday night (at Philips Arena once again).
"I felt like I couldn't move (the taped fingers), and the trainer adjusted it," said Horford, who wasn't sure of whether he'll use the tape again in Game 2.
"That's what they did (tonight), and I didn't like it," said Horford, who used the canned, yet optimistic response of, "I'll be fine" throughout his postgame media session.
