Hawks forward Al Horford tells Yahoo! Sports he does not expect to play in the postseason due to pectoral injury. ... sulia.com/new_post/41b2b…

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) April 23, 2012

According to Marc J. Spears at Yahoo! Sports, Al Horford doesn't expect to play in the first round against the Celtics:

I don't feel like it is realistic that I can play for the playoffs. Obviously, if we advance and start going we will see. But as of right now the way I feel I think I am out for the playoffs.

He hasn't played since January 11th with a torn left pectoral muscle and the Hawks have played very well without him but this is a big break for the C's. Not only is he a bear on the boards and another big body for KG and Bass to deal with, but I've always felt that he had a calming effect on the Hawks. Atlanta (specifically Joe Johnson and Joe Smith) can be very susceptible to one-one-one, anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better basketball and having Al Horford doing all the dirty work cleaning up their bad shots would have been another thing to worry about. What Al Horford does well is exactly the Achilles' heel of Boston: rebounding.

UPDATE:

Al Horford changes mind telling Yahoo! he will return to action in limited fashion 4/26 vs DAL after doc meeting. ... sulia.com/new_post/0f494…

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) April 23, 2012

After consulting a doctor, it looks like Al Horford is going to give it a go and try and play 15 minutes a night in the first round.