The Boston star wasn't too thrilled with the rookie's bravado. Pierce flashed a hand gesture toward Horford and attempted to stare him down.
Did Horford back off? Hardly.
The Atlanta center thumped his chest and yelled back at Pierce, who was finally dragged back to the Celtics bench.
Horford said Sunday that it was the first time he'd done it and it was spontaneous.
He's not making any apologies, though, and the Hawks can only hope Horford stays in the moment. The grit, leadership and emotion shown by the former Florida standout is at least giving Atlanta a glimmer of hope in their opening-round playoff series against the mighty Celtics.
Horford was a force in Atlanta's Game 3 upset of Boston, scoring 17 points, grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds and doling out six assists.
He'll need to keep it up tonight when the Hawks try to even the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/4/209449