Manchester United are seriously considering triggering Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak's €120 million buy-out clause, sources have confirmed to ESPN FC -- throwing David De Gea's future into doubt.

Oblak, 26, signed a new contract at Atletico in April, but his buy-out clause was only increased by only €20m to a figure which the United hierarchy believe would still be excellent value for a player considered one of the world's best in his position.

De Gea, 28, was United's player of the year in four of the last five seasons, but made the latest mistake of an error-strewn 2018-19 campaign in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw against Chelsea, and has just one year left on his contract.

Oblak had the opportunity to join Liverpool in the past, and Chelsea have also shown an interest. The Slovenia international had previously always preferred to stay at Atletico.

Despite extending his deal with Atletico up until 2023 with a pay rise included, sources have told ESPN FC Oblak is in a similar situation to teammate Antoine Griezmann in that he would like to see more top players arrive in order to help them compete with Barcelona -- while Real Madrid are also likely to strengthen.

Atletico have already lost 2018 World Cup winner Lucas Hernandez to Bayern Munich, while defenders Diego Godin, Juanfran and Filipe Luis are all out of contract in the summer. Meanwhile, several top clubs are interested in other key players including midfielders Saul Niguez and Rodrigo.

United are considering whether to pay Saul's €150m buy-out clause, while Manchester City and Barcelona are interested in Rodrigo, who has been likened to Sergio Busquets.

There is an understanding that Oblak would only leave Atletico for a team playing in the Champions League -- something which is far from certain at United, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team sitting sixth with two games remaining after taking just one point from the last nine available.

The Premier League title fight between Liverpool and Man City has felt like a case of Goliath vs. Goliath. But has it actually been entertaining? Nick Miller recaps another wild weekend.

Question of the weekend

"I was trembling," said Pep Guardiola, about the closing stages of Manchester City's narrow 1-0 win over Burnley.

In some respects, it's a relief to hear that the manager of this relentless winning machine gets nervous: This was City's 12th consecutive victory, meaning that since they last lost a game, the top two have dropped a total of eight points from a possible 75.

But the question in all of this is, while this title race has clearly shown absurd levels of quality in terms of City and Liverpool's supremacy over the rest (the gap between second and third is one point more than the gap between Wolves in seventh and the relegation zone), you're left wondering whether the last couple of months have actually been entertaining.

There's been very little peril. Neither side has been knocked down and had to dust themselves off. This has been Goliath vs. Goliath, both smacking each other but remaining upright, and in the end one will emerge just slightly less battered than the other.

Maybe this seems ungrateful. Maybe the last two games will bring some more drama. But until now you do have to ask: Has this actually been a good title race, or do we all just think it has?

Player of the weekend

We still don't fully appreciate Sergio Aguero. Those around him had a slightly frustrating afternoon at Turf Moor, but it was Aguero who kept hammering away, eventually getting the winner, albeit by a mere 29 millimetres.

That was his 230th goal in 334 City appearances, the fifth season in a row and sixth overall that he has scored 20 Premier League goals in a season. He's now level with Robbie Fowler in the all-time Premier League scorers charts, and next season he'll pass Frank Lampard, Thierry Henry and perhaps Andy Cole, which will mean only Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer will be ahead of him.

Embarrassment of the weekend

It should be pretty embarrassing for Manchester United that of Manchester City's two games this week, their trip to Burnley was much tougher than the game at Old Trafford. And even more embarrassing, that this wasn't really a surprise.

Dilemma of the weekend

What to do about David De Gea? According to Adam Bate from Sky Sports, he has now made more errors directly leading to goal this season than in his previous five seasons combined. Beyond having a set of concrete-footed defenders in front of him who reacted too slowly as Marcos Alonso pounced, you can't make any excuses for De Gea for this one, spilling a straightforward long-range effort from Antonio Rudiger right back into the danger zone.

It always has been one of those slightly odd football conventions that a goalkeeper should not be so readily dropped when in poor form as outfielders. Presumably the idea is that keepers represent stability, that they are the steady rock on which a team is based, and also because with most teams there's a bigger drop in quality between their second-choice keeper and, say, their second-choice centre-back.

Those two things don't apply to Manchester United at the moment. De Gea is not offering stability, and in Sergio Romero they have a keeper good enough to have won 96 caps for Argentina. Given his body of work, it would be a big call for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop De Gea, but the time to do so is nearing.

Helpers of the weekend

Decide for yourselves whether this means anything or not, but Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have 20 assists between them this season, which is the same number as Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling.

Tactical mistake of the weekend

Few could doubt that Neil Warnock has done a remarkable job in getting this set of Cardiff players into the Premier League, then ensuring they have a chance of survival with two games remaining.

But his approach in Cardiff's 1-0 loss to Fulham on Saturday was entirely baffling, playing as if he were happy with just a point when his side started the day three behind Brighton. And, as is often the case when a team is so passive, the approach didn't work, they went a goal down and by the time they started to attack, it was all too late. Bobby Reid, their most dynamic attacking presence on the bench, emerged only in the 87th minute.

They were perhaps unlucky not to score in a late barrage of the Fulham goal, but if they had been more proactive earlier, they may not have needed luck. Afterwards, Warnock admitted he got his team selection wrong, but that isn't a huge amount of use.

Cardiff now need to win their remaining two games and hope Brighton only pick up one point from theirs. The latter half of that scenario is perfectly possible, but if Warnock approaches either game the way he did this weekend, the former isn't.

Collapse of the weekend

Anyone reasonable would recognise that Unai Emery had a difficult job at Arsenal this season, and qualification for the Champions League was the height of their realistic ambitions. That could still happen, but the last week has been absolutely calamitous.

Three defeats, nine goals conceded, only three scored and their abysmal away record continues. Leicester are a good side who have improved under Brendan Rodgers, so you could argue that in isolation losing to them is not an absolute disgrace. But it's the context of the other results that makes it more troubling.

After Sunday's 3-0 defeat, Emery emphasised the impact of Ainsley Maitland-Niles' sending off, which may well have been harsh, but up to the point he was dismissed Arsenal had just 27 percent of the ball. For a small bit of context, Burnley had 31 percent at half-time against Manchester City. It's a problem if Emery genuinely thought things were all going well and that was the turning point, but it's an even bigger problem that Arsenal capitulated so meekly after the sending off.

Team of the Week

Consequence of the weekend

In terms of domestic matters, Tottenham's 1-0 defeat to West Ham on Saturday might not actually mean much. They remain in third place and the three teams behind them are so inconsistent that you'd have a hard time believing one will reel them in, never mind two. Unless there's an epic collapse, they will still qualify for next season's Champions League.

But it's the impact on this season's competition that might be more significant. Ajax visit in the first leg of their semifinal on Tuesday, where Spurs will be without Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks. It's something that is preying on Mauricio Pochettino's mind, too.

"The feeling for everyone has changed quickly," he said. "After the win here against Brighton on Tuesday everyone had a very good feeling -- that we are having a fantastic season and we are going to arrive in our best condition.

"But after our defeat today, it's like we will arrive the complete opposite."

Manager of the weekend

Their 3-3 draw with Bournemouth means Southampton are safe, and while this is a point frequently made in this column it's worth making again: When Ralph Hasenhuttl arrived the Saints were below Huddersfield in the table and had won just one game.

There are plenty of candidates for manager of the season, but Hasenhuttl has to be up there.

Lancashire have signed Australian batsman Jake Lehmann for the remainder of their Royal London One-Day Cup campaign.

Lehmann, the 26 year-old son of former Australian batsman and coach Darren Lehmann, will replace countryman Glenn Maxwell, who is set to join the Australian World Cup squad. Maxwell will play in Lancashire's next game against Durham on Tuesday before flying back to Australia.

Jake Lehmann played first-class cricket for Yorkshire in 2016, scoring 384 runs at an average of 54.85. He will be available for the knockout stages if Lancashire qualify from the North Group in the Royal London Cup. The left-handed batsman averages 31.09 in List A cricket and has played in the Big Bash for Adelaide Strikers since 2015.

"I am hugely excited to have been given the opportunity to join a massive club like Lancashire," he said. "I thoroughly enjoyed my previous spell in England with Yorkshire a couple of years ago and I'm really looking forward to pulling on the Red Rose and playing at Old Trafford this time around.

"I am looking forward to meeting all of the lads and I hope that I can put in some match winning performances to help the team finish strongly."

Lancashire's Director of Cricket Paul Allott, said: "We are very fortunate that we've been able to find a replacement for Glenn as he leaves us to meet up with the Australia World Cup squad.

"Getting a player of quality for a short spell, with little notice can be difficult, but we're really pleased that we have been able to secure the services of Jake for the rest of the competition. Everyone at Lancashire Cricket wishes Glenn all the best for the World Cup and we look forward to welcoming him back to Emirates Old Trafford later this summer."

Maxwell will return to Lancashire after the World Cup to play in the T20 Blast in August and the County Championship in September.

Sydney Sixers are firming as the likely Big Bash League destination for AB de Villiers, as part of a package deal with Cricket Australia and broadcasters that may be worth more than AUD350,000 for a stint at the back end of next summer's tournament.

CA and broadcasters both confirmed to BBL clubs that they would offer financial assistance to help secure de Villiers' signature ahead of a season where the men's ODI team will be absent from Australia during a chunk of January - CA's contribution understood to be up to $50,000 in return for marketing services. The Sixers appear to have the inside running for reasons over and above than the playing, marketing and broadcasting deal they are able to piece together for the South African and his management.

All eight BBL clubs were believed to have submitted offers to de Villiers last week, with the Sydney Thunder's proposal strengthened by the salary cap room afforded to them by the retirement of Shane Watson, who will restrict himself to shorter overseas T20 jaunts rather than the longer and more demanding BBL schedule.

However, the Sixers have a couple of advantages not able to be found elsewhere. Not only will de Villiers have a friend and former team-mate on hand in Morne Morkel, who will be spending six months of the year in Sydney with his family, he will be able to play home games at the SCG, the venue of his memorable 162 from 66 balls for South Africa against the West Indies at the 2015 World Cup.

"We would be absolutely delighted to have AB join the Sixers and have made an offer for this summer," Sixers general manager Jodie Hawkins told ESPNcricinfo. "We understand there are a number of BBL clubs wanting to welcome AB, but we believe we offer him a great option to experience the Big Bash, living in Sydney by the beach, playing at one of his favourite grounds, the SCG, and just enjoying what Sydney offers in summer, that's a pretty good proposition. He'd also be great working with some of our young stars like Josh Philippe, and meeting our incredible fans."

Ad hoc high profile signings with financial assistance from CA and broadcasters such as Fox Sports have been a part of the BBL's history, most notably Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen with Melbourne Stars, and the news that the Australian ODI team would be pressed to honour a pre-existing commitment to tour India next January has helped add impetus to the push to secure de Villiers for at least part of the next competition.

But the creation of a more equitable marquee system for high profile international names remains strongly desired by numerous clubs, while others within the Australian system would prefer an auction for overseas players. The Australian Cricketers Association has blocked attempts by CA to add one more overseas place to BBL playing lists for next summer, arguing that the length of the tournament is a greater barrier to the world's best players taking part rather than the money or squad positions available.

Andrew McDonald, coach of the tournament-winning Melbourne Renegades, told ESPNcricinfo earlier this year that the BBL's credibility demanded a more even system for high profile overseas players. "I think the only way you could do that is to have a marquee [fund]," McDonald said in February. "[CA] is talking to us. Everyone is talking essentially. Our CEO is talking to us as coaches, that's going back up to Cricket Australia.

"We've identified that there is a problem or a potential problem, if we don't get it right going forward. I think the only way to do it is if we have eight marquee spots available, get 16 players from around the world to nominate, and then you have a marquee draft. Just have a lottery draft. Pull the Melbourne Stars out of the hat first, whoever out of the hat second and they pick eight marquee players, and those marquee players have to sign up for the entirety of the tournament."

The Stars and Melbourne Renegades are among other clubs believed to be heavily interested in de Villiers, but there is also a parallel competition to secure Andre Russell, whose star has shone evermore brightly in this year's IPL, resulting in his recall to the West Indies ODI team for the World Cup in England later this year.

Other BBL recruiting moves are afoot, with Fawad Ahmed set to join the Perth Scorchers to form a spin bowling tandem with Ashton Agar, and the West Australian paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile likely to be unveiled by the Melbourne Stars among their signings for 2019-20.

Alex Hales has been withdrawn from all England squads ahead of the international season in the wake of his 21-day ban for using recreational drugs.

According to an ECB statement, Ashley Giles, ECB's managing director of England men's cricket, and the England selectors, headed by Ed Smith, took the decision after considering what is in the best interests of the England team.

"Consideration was given to creating the right environment within the team and ensuring that there are no unnecessary distractions and that the team is in the best position to succeed going into this crucial period," read the statement.

Hales will not travel to Ireland for a one-off ODI on Friday in Malahide and has also been removed from England's squad for the T20I, the one-day series against Pakistan, and the preliminary World Cup squad.

"We have thought long and hard about this decision," Giles said. "We have worked hard to create the right environment around the England team and need to consider what is in the best interests of the team, to ensure they are free from any distractions and able to focus on being successful on the pitch.

"I want to make it clear this is not the end of Alex's career as an England player. The ECB and the PCA will continue to aid Alex and work alongside his county club Nottinghamshire to give him the support he needs, to help him fulfil his potential as a professional cricketer."

England will name a replacement for the ODI series against Pakistan in due course.

Last week, it was announced that Hales had failed a drugs test, having tested positive for a recreational drug in recent weeks.

He is currently serving a 21-day ban after returning a second positive test, having pulled out of Nottinghamshire's Royal London Cup campaign, shortly after the World Cup squad was announced, for undisclosed personal reasons.

The drugs violation is understood to have been detected after Hales underwent a routine hair-follicle test, which all professional men's cricketers and centrally contracted women's players undergo at the start and finish of every season.

This incident is just the latest disciplinary issue to have affected Hales' career. In December, he was handed a six-match ban - four of which are still suspended - and fined by the ECB following the Cricket Disciplinary Commission's inquiry into the fracas outside Mbargo nightclub in September 2017 that led to Ben Stokes' arrest and subsequent trial for affray.

Hales has not been a first-choice player in England's white-ball squad since being dropped in the wake of that incident, with Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy forging a successful partnership at the top of the order.

However, in June last year, Hales' 147 from 92 balls was the key innings in England's world-record total of 481 for 6 against Australia at Trent Bridge, and the strength that he would have added to England's squad depth will be keenly missed, especially now that his most obvious understudy, Sam Billings, has been ruled out of the season due to a dislocated shoulder.

England have until May 23 to finalise their World Cup 15, and so the coming series against Ireland and the Pakistan matches represent a huge opportunity for a replacement batsman to make his case for selection. The current front-runner would appear to be Hampshire's James Vince, who made a career-best 190 from 154 balls against Gloucestershire last week.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Australia's best female cricketers Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry have missed out on an IPL payday in the region of US $30,000 each for a mere three matches, after Cricket Australia formally informed them that the BCCI would not reverse its decision to omit the trio from the exhibition tournament to be held next month.

The cash on offer for the IPL exhibition dwarfs even the payments on offer for the Women's Big Bash League, the world's premier Twenty20 competition, where a minimum contract retainer for 2019-20 will be around A$11,000 and average retainers a little more than A$20,000 for a full home and away tournament of 14 matches plus finals.

Lanning, Healy and Perry remained hopeful of a compromise over the four days since the BCCI announced IPL exhibition squads devoid of Australian players on April 25, but were finally told the bad news by interim team performance chief Belinda Clark on Monday and are understood to be highly frustrated by the turn of events.

CA had been acting as a collective agent on behalf of the players and, as revealed by ESPNcricinfo, Clark had told the BCCI on April 5 that their availability would only be confirmed after talks between the CA chief executive Kevin Roberts and his BCCI opposite number Rahul Johri resolved a parallel scheduling conflict over an Australian ODI tour of India in January.

CA has denied using the players' availability as a bargaining chip in negotiations over the men's ODI series, but on Monday issued a public apology for how a "communication breakdown" had cost Perry, Lanning and Healy.

"We have always been supportive of the Women's IPL and had every intention of participating," a CA spokesperson said. "We are also very keen to ensure a strong working relationship with the BCCI.

"While we are in regular contact with the BCCI, there has clearly been a communication breakdown on this occasion and the women have been impacted as a result. We're sorry this has happened and are determined to ensure our relationship with India remains open and collaborative to avoid future such incidents."

Roberts and the CA chairman Earl Eddings are expected to visit India next month as part of their efforts to improve a relationship with the BCCI that has broken down to the visible cost of Perry, Lanning and Healy, as well as CA's broadcast rights holders Fox Sports.

The pay television operator paid the majority share of a AU $1.18 billion rights deal last year, largely for exclusive coverage of men's ODI and T20I cricket in Australia and are now facing a 2019-20 schedule devoid of the former.

This is not the first time Australia's elite women have been embroiled in wider negotiations.

During the most recent, and often hostile, bargaining between CA and the Australian Cricketers' Association over the players' Memorandum of Understanding, the Australian Women's team were left out of contract at the conclusion of their 2017 World Cup campaign, along with domestic players who were on semi-professional contracts.

At the time, both CA and the ACA made tempting financial offers in their proposals. The players chose to keep solidarity with the ACA, increasing pressure on CA to make a deal.

Bangladesh's biggest player will be missing from the team's official World Cup picture - and all because he'd left the ground before the photo session took place. It's left the picture with a legend-sized hole and also left the BCB president fairly angry about it.

Shakib Al Hasan, who had arrived in Dhaka on Sunday and had come to the Shere Bangla National Stadium to report to the team management, apparently left before the team gathered for the photo on the outfield. BCB president Nazmul Hassan said that he came to know Shakib was informed of the team's schedule on what was officially the final day of training in Dhaka, before the team's departure for Dublin, to play a tri-series against Ireland and West Indies, on May 1. And with the players getting Tuesday off, the BCB had crammed all their programmes, including the captain's press conference, team lunch with the president and directors, the photo sessions and other commercial-related work for Monday.

"It is disappointing, what else can I say?" Hassan said. "It was the team's photo session. I came and asked about him. I didn't know he had arrived last night. I called him, and he said he is going to come to my house at night. I said to him to come to the ground. He said I have already left. I asked everyone here, and they said Shakib was informed of the photo session. He didn't turn up for training but we hoped for his presence in the photo session. But he wasn't here.

"I think the rest of the team is used to it. What else can I say? I think it is his misfortune that he couldn't be in the team photo before the team leaves for the World Cup. There's no question about [giving him too much leeway]. The team is leaving day after tomorrow, so we don't want to talk too much about it. But it is definitely disappointing."

Shakib didn't respond to ESPNcricinfo's message regarding the BCB chief's reaction.

Despite having some run-ins with the BCB on several other issues, Shakib is not known to have missed any official team photos or similar affairs in the past.

The NFL and the players' union have reviewed the audiotape that a TV station aired last week on which Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill and his fiancée discuss injuries to their child, a source told ESPN's Dan Graziano.

The league has historically declined to use the commissioner's exempt list in the offseason but is considering making an exception in this case, likely as early as this week, because Hill is in the middle of an ongoing criminal investigation. The designation is a way to keep a player off the field while the league reviews a charge or allegation and reaches a conclusion on discipline, and the league usually waits until the legal system concludes its process, which was just reopened last week in Kansas City after prosecutors received the audio from a local TV station.

The exemption usually works as a suspension with pay, but because players aren't paid in the offseason, that doesn't apply in this case. While on the commissioner's exempt list, Hill would be prohibited by the NFL from taking part in practices and other team activities.

Hill has been suspended from all team-related activities in the wake of the audio that surfaced Thursday in which he discusses abusing his son. Hill also told his fiancée, Crystal Espinal, that she should be "terrified'' of him during an 11-minute discussion that took place in a Dubai airport.

The audio surfaced one day after prosecutors declined to press charges against Hill following a domestic violence investigation. They said at the time that they were convinced a crime had occurred but were unable to determine whether it was Hill or Espinal who hurt their son.

The prosecutor, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe, reopened the case on Friday after receiving the audio file from KCTV in Kansas City.

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said Saturday that the team is conducting its own internal investigation, though it's unclear how much information the Johnson County District Attorney's office will make available.

There was speculation that the Chiefs could release Hill once this past weekend's NFL draft was over, but Hunt declined to discuss those internal deliberations. He said Saturday that "there are a couple of ongoing investigations relating to Tyreek, and we're going to have to let that process play out.''

The NFL draft drew record numbers both on site and on television.

The league said Monday that more than 600,000 attended over the three days in Nashville, easily eclipsing the 250,000 that came to watch two years ago in Philadelphia.

Nielsen reports that the draft on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network averaged 6.1 million viewers at any given time over the three days. The draft averaged 5.5 million viewers last year, which was the first time all seven rounds were on broadcast television.

The average numbers were up despite the ratings for Thursday's first round being flat. The combined average for the three networks was 11.1 million, which was down from last year's 11.2 million. The ABC broadcast averaged 4.5 million, which was up 21 percent from last year's 3.7 million that watched on Fox.

"By every metric -- from the hundreds of thousands of fans who filled the streets of Nashville to the record-breaking ratings and viewership -- this event was an unqualified success," Peter O'Reilly, the NFL's executive vice president for club business and league events, said in an email.

Next year's draft is slated to take place in Las Vegas and will be the first significant event hosted by the Raiders in their new home city. The Raiders will play their final season in Oakland this year before moving to Nevada.

MILWAUKEE -- The Boston Celtics have known for the better part of three months that if they were to make it to the NBA Finals, they would have to go through the Milwaukee Bucks. More specifically, they would have to try to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo, a leading candidate for Most Valuable Player of the NBA.

Whether they had three months, three weeks or three days, the Celtics knew that when these teams met in the postseason, how they fared would depend on how Al Horford played. On Sunday, he showed the world why.

In a spectacular individual performance that epitomized the best 48 minutes of basketball this Celtics team has played all season, Horford finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal, three blocks and no turnovers as Boston cruised to an emphatic 112-90 victory over Milwaukee in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series at Fiserv Forum.

"We've said all year you can't overstate Al Horford's importance to our team," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "The numbers back that up."

The numbers certainly backed it up on Sunday. As the Celtics had their way with the Bucks at both ends of the floor, bringing to the fore every doubt that has hung over Milwaukee's charmed run to the NBA's best record this season, Horford found himself in the middle of all of it. Some of that came offensively, as his shooting spaced the floor and created room for Boston's guards and wings to wreak havoc in the paint, and where he and Kyrie Irving (26 points and 11 assists) had tremendous success running pick-and-pops against Milwaukee's defense.

More of it came defensively, as he led the charge against Antetokounmpo. The Bucks' star finished with 22 points and eight rebounds but shot just 7-for-21 from the field (including 4-for-16 the first three quarters of the game) and had things made difficult by the Celtics as a group -- and Horford in particular -- with every step he took.

Against Horford, Antetokounmpo shot 1-for- 6 on the day, according to ESPN's Stats & Information. Against Aron Baynes, whom the Celtics moved to the bench to try to ensure that he or Horford was out there virtually every second that Antetokounmpo was during the game, Antetokounmpo went 1-for-4.

"They were loading [the paint] a lot," Antetokounmpo said. "Lots of guys in the paint. Whenever I got in the paint, when I spin or try and change direction, the second guy was right there.

"I've just gotta go watch tape. If they are going to play like this the whole series, I have to be able to make the right pass, trust my teammates to knock down shots."

Boston entered the game with a clear game plan, which Antetokounmpo alluded to, whether Horford was on the court to guard him or not: Pack the paint, and force him to settle for jumpers. Antetokounmpo responded by going 3-for-5 from 3-point range, tying his season high for makes in a game.

But even if he makes three more in each of the remaining games of this series, if Antetokounmpo shoots 25 percent on 2-point shots -- after he hit 64 percent of them during the regular season -- the Celtics will take that tradeoff. They might not have as much success -- and they are unlikely to have more highlight blocks like the one Horford had in the third quarter -- but it's a formula that should prove successful for the Celtics if they can keep implementing it.

"I just think that our group, we all understood how we needed to defend and how dangerous he is once he gets it in the paint," Horford said. "So constantly tonight, we had a couple of breakdowns, but for the most part, I feel like everyone was very aware. Our guards really did a good job of helping and closing down lanes and things like that, and we just wanted to challenge and contest every shot as best we could."

It was a team effort that began and ended with Horford. Boston has spent the season carefully managing Horford's minutes and games played, trying to keep him as fresh as possible for the playoffs. At times earlier this season, when Horford was dealing with tendinitis, some scouts wondered if he'd be able to return to the form he showed during last year's playoffs.

But those days have been long forgotten, as Horford has been consistently excellent for Boston the past few months leading into the playoffs and remained so in Boston's sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the first round. It certainly didn't change in Game 1 of this series, either, as Horford delivered precisely the performance the Celtics needed to seize home court in this series and show why they still have a chance to do what so many expected them to do when this season began.

"He was the Al Horford we all know and love," Celtics forward Gordon Hayward said. "Knocking down shots, being able to space the floor, also taking advantage of smaller guys in the post and around the rim. Defensively, he was all over the place. [He] really did a good job on Giannis. I thought our team for the most part did a good job on him.

"It's one game, though. They're going to come back even stronger with more energy next game. So it's a good start."