MILWAUKEE – Lou Merloni didn’t have to think long during his noon commute up from Marshfield yesterday about what he would say about Al Horford.

The WEEI co-host and former Red Sox infielder coined the nickname “Average Al” during Horford’s first season with the Celtics, and it’s become part of Merloni’s talk radio identity.

“I’ll probably use it today. It’s a catchy nickname,” he said.

Horford’s latest effort in Game 1 – perhaps the finest two-way performance in his three seasons in Green – was a catchy retort to those, like Merloni, who never have been comfortable with the correlation between the veteran’s stat line and his max contract.

But Merloni points to other nicknames he has for Horford.

“I don’t have a problem with Playoff Al,” Merloni said. “This year I haven’t been critical of him at all because of the team that’s around him, with all of those scorers.

“The beginning of it for me was his first year (in Boston), and Avery Bradley went down with an injury and they were in desperate need of a second scorer, and I thought (Horford) was being too passive about it.”

Merloni also calls him Aggressive Al, which tends to be how he views the Celtics center now. He admittedly never has met Horford.

Horford has heard the nickname many times. But asked about Merloni, he shook his head.

“First of all, I honestly don’t know the person’s name. If he was standing here, I would not know who he is,” he said. “No disrespect to him, but I don’t follow all that stuff. I did start to hear about the nickname because you guys kept bringing it up to me.

“But the way I always looked at it, and how I like to be judged, is if I’m winning or losing. Ever since I got here, even if my numbers weren’t what people wanted them to be, I always was more concerned about are we winning, are we winning at a high level, are we getting to where we want to get to. That’s what I base my success on is the team’s success. So all this individual stuff has never been relevant.”

The hallmark of Horford’s time with the Celtics, though, is that save for adding the 3-pointer as a major weapon, he’s refused to change, refused to follow his shot unless that’s what fits the game’s flow.

Could he actually be underrated? Aron Baynes broke into a laugh before noting that he’s been around players like Horford before, dating back to his beginnings in San Antonio.

“Talking to me, my first NBA experience was in the quiet dynasty, he’s very much like that as well,” Baynes said. “He’s quiet, he’s humble, but we all know what he’s capable of in this locker room, and we feed off it a lot. Being able to watch him and go out there and do what he does, it’s fun to be a part of.”

And for those who still believe Horford should score consistently as he did Sunday, with 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting, Brad Stevens has a message.

Leave well enough alone.

“Guys that make the right basketball play, you never wish for something else,” the Celtics coach said. “He’s just going to make the right play over and over. If that means that he’s going to kick it out at the rim because guys are all at the rim, he’s going to do it. If he’s going to pass it out of the seam, he’s going to do it. If he’s going to have a shot, he’s just going to take the high-percentage right ones. Again, he’s very comfortable in who he is as a person and who he is as a basketball player, and you can see that in the way that he conducts himself, carries himself and plays the game.

“He’s a great role model in every which way for any young player. When you think about the fact that the only stat that matters is winning. He could get three shots in a game and not say one word. He’s really focused on what happens as a team at the end of the game. I was really excited when he shot as much as he did in that Indiana game and as well last night because sometimes we need him to be even more selfish. But that guy’s all about winning, and he’s all about preparing to win, and I’m glad we have him.”

There is, after all, also Playoff Al.

“I mean, we’ve been together now, this is our third season,” Stevens said. “He’s gotten better toward the end of every season, and he’s been his best at this time. I always think that everybody’s going to react to things as they happen throughout an 82-game season. That’s part of our news cycle. That’s just not the way I look at it. I think that we’re trying to get better as the season goes on and trying to play our best at the end, and he’s done that three straight years.”

As even Merloni admits, there’s also Important Al.

“He’s obviously very important because this is the perfect team for him,” Merloni said. “There’s a huge void if he’s gone.

“I would say he’s unique. It’s funny, I’ve always felt he could do more, and when he does, people get on me about it.”

The debate lives on.