The Boston Celtics have been dealing with positive COVID-19 test results among their traveling party over the last week, according to a report by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst,

Those tests may be tied to veteran big man Al Horford’s entering the NBA’s health and safety protocol. As Windhorst noted on a recent episode of “Get Up!,” it will be Horford’s third such stint this year, but it does not necessarily mean he has tested positive given close contact with any of the unnamed members of the traveling party might also trigger his entry.

Reading between lines drawn by the team’s policy to not comment on such matters, it seems probable Horford tested positive. The skepticism on Horford’s ability to return in time for Game 2 of the East finals against the Miami Heat in recent reporting from Yahoo’s Chris Haynes — who notes there is an unlikely but “minuscule path in which the veteran big man could fulfill the necessary steps for clearance” — suggests the former Florida player needs to produce the two negative tests required by the league in a 24-hour period to return to play.

Horford, who has publicly stated he is vaccinated, and perhaps also head coach Ime Udoka, who missed Wednesday’s media availability session with a (at least for now) non-COVID illness, points to the importance of health in today’s NBA in ways that transcend historic concerns if nothing else.

Neither player will suit up for the first contest in the 2022 East finals series. https://t.co/oFmuKKl0nb

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 18, 2022

In a city with surging local COVID infections, adopting a more stringent approach to precautionary practices may well prove critical to the team’s postseason ambitions.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!