C’s deal with new reality
Hayward loss not easy
Maybe it was when they came together that night in Philadelphia, making big plays down the stretch to pull out their first win of the season. Maybe it was a more gradual process as time has gotten between them and the sight of Gordon Hayward on the floor in Cleveland.
Whatever the case, it appears clear the Celtics have turned a psychological corner of sorts in the past week or more. It’s as if they have suppressed the severity of that moment — Hayward coming down awkwardly and fracturing his left ankle — accepted that this is the team they have right now and embraced the fact that it’s a pretty damn good team at that. A team that’s won four straight heading into this evening against San Antonio.
“I think we’re getting used to that reality to what we have in front of us,” said Al Horford. “It’s a hard blow, but then as the days go on you kind of realize that this is our reality, this is what we have, and we need to make the most of it with what’s here right now.
“We all have to change our minds and understand that we have to do it in a different way now. But we do have a lot of depth here, and it’s with a lot of young guys, but we feel like they’re doing a good job of adjusting. And I think they’ll keep coming along as the year goes on.”
But it hasn’t been just the rookies and relative neophytes that had to work hard to grasp all that was changing.
“The whole Gordon situation, you know, to this day it’s still horrible to even think about, just replaying that image and that very particular moment in your head,” said Marcus Smart. “I think for this team it really just shook us up in the head, because first we just lost someone we’ve been playing with and a really good guy and a really good player for our team off a simple play that we do every day. So now it’s in the back of your head, and you’re kind of spooked a little bit, because that’s something serious and you don’t see that very often.
“But from hearing from Gordon that he’s OK and the surgery went well and he’s back getting ready for rehab, you know, that kind of eased our mind a little bit.”
Having known Hayward the longest of those with the Celts, Brad Stevens no doubt had a hard time processing the serious injury to his current and former (at Butler) player. Not surprisingly, the coach leaned on the consistent approach that has gotten him far.
“I think you just don’t change how you approach it,” Stevens said. “You just approach it that you have a job to do, and for me it’s to coach the guys that are available. For them it’s to be able to step in and play whatever role we need you to play to win.
“I think the hardest part is when roles get expanded or have to be redefined. But that happens throughout the course of the season on every team. And the nice part for us is that all our guys should be on their toes and ready, because who knows when they’re going to play a lot?”
President of basketball operations Danny Ainge was the one who gathered those players, and he knew how important free agent signee Hayward was as a veteran force while the Jayson Tatums and Jaylen Browns developed alongside.
“Listen, the loss of Gordon was a shock to everybody,” Ainge said. “We’ve all been involved with injuries before, but it just happened, and it happened so fast and so early in the year that I think it was just really, really shocking. Then on top of that Gordon is so well liked and respected by all the players in the league. I’ve never seen more outreach for a player being injured than I’ve seen with Gordon.
“But having said that, even in the first two games that we ended up losing, we had opportunities to win.”
Despite the gallant efforts in losses to the Cavaliers and Bucks, there was an uncomfortable numbness that hung over the Celts as they tried to process the Hayward loss. Winning in Philadelphia appeared to show them something.
“That was a big turning point,” Smart said. “We have a lot of guys that are young and it’s their first time in the league, so we had young guys that were really put into the fire — we still do. But they have to get used to it, and I think that game gave us confidence as a team and gave those guys confidence that they’re a part of it.”
Kyrie Irving is choosing to take a more cautious view. The point guard and leader doesn’t want to make his move with so much time still on the season’s shot clock.
“It’s still early, man,” Irving said. “I don’t know if there’s ever a point where you necessarily turn the corner this early in the season. It’s just hard to say that at this point because we’re still getting to learn one another. It’s a long season, so there’s going to be times when things are going to look pretty and then times when things are going to look pretty ugly. And you’ve still got to be unwavering in your approach and just got to perfect your craft every single day.”
The Celtics have to play for what is and for what may be. Though the club is saying strongly that Hayward is expected to miss the rest of the season, there is still the possibility, however remote, that he could be back before the playoffs. While his teammates seem to be aware of this, they don’t want it to get in the way of their more important concerns for Hayward.
“I think the biggest thing for us is to, you know, we wish him to recover well and be healthy, and we can’t think about that,” Horford said. “You know, it’s almost one of those things that if it happens, it’s amazing for him and for our group. But we’re not resting our heads on that. I’m looking at his longevity and just making sure that he feels good and he’s in a good place mentally. So we’re not expecting him to be back this season.”
In another way though, Hayward hasn’t really left. Resolving to deal with what’s in uniform isn’t a slight toward their mate.
“I think we all feel like we owe it to Gordon to do it that way,” said Stevens. “We owe it to each other. We owe it to him. And I know that he’s still really engaged in it. You know, he and I were talking about how to guard Giannis (Antetokounmpo) before we played the Bucks. So we move forward, but it’s still hard, right?”
A little easier, however, once you live and play in the present.
‘You just approach it that you have a job to do . . . . I think the hardest part is when roles get expanded or have to be redefined. But that happens throughout the course of the season on every team.’ — BRAD STEVENS, on life without Gordon Hayward