Injury has Hayward frustrated
Shelved four weeks with ankle sprain
Holding a crutch in each hand and sporting a black protective boot on his right leg, Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon for the first time since he suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain during the fourth quarter of Monday night’s Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The forward is expected to miss approximately four weeks due to the injury and will have to hope that his C’s are still alive in the playoffs when he is able to return. He certainly sounded like a very disappointed individual, frustrated by facing yet another significant recovery and rehab hurdle.
“It’s definitely gutting, it sucks. There’s nothing else to say about that,” said Hayward. “It’s definitely frustrating, it doesn’t feel great at the moment. Just try to get better as soon as I can.”
Hayward said he knew as soon as he sustained the injury that it was serious. His awareness towards severe injuries will forever be heightened in the aftermath of the gruesome broken left ankle he suffered in his first game as a Celtic on opening night in 2017.
“I heard it and felt it and knew it wasn’t just your casual rolled ankle,” he said. “It was swollen by the time I was leaving the court, so I knew it was definitely worse than normal. As far as timeline, it’s kind of up in the air. I think it’s kind of just how my body responds to the rehab and all that stuff.
“Maybe I could use some Disney magic to help me get better.”
Hayward’s wife, Robyn, is pregnant with a baby due in September. Hayward had previously said that he planned to leave the NBA’s Orlando bubble for the birth of the child.
“Just trying to take it day by day and we’re looking at scheduling for the baby and all that stuff,” said Hayward.
Hayward saw his team deliver an inspired effort in his absence in Wednesday night’s Game 2, as the Celtics romped to a 128-101 win to take a 2-0 series lead in their bestof-seven Eastern Conference first round series. Game 3 is Friday night.
“I’m happy that we played well,” said Hayward. “The nice thing about our team is that we have a lot of talent and a lot of guys that can pick up the slack, so that’s definitely a plus. Happy to see us playing well, I think we were playing our best basketball heading into this. Hopefully we can continue that.”
This season, Hayward was playing his best basketball in a Boston uniform. He averaged an efficient 17.5 points (50 percent from the floor) during the regular season and a career-high 6.7 rebounds. His presence gave the Celtics four high-level scorers, along with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker.
Now, it’s about keeping his spirits high.
“Just try to attack the rehab. Definitely been here before, so I know how to do that,” said Hayward. “The mental side of rehab is by far more difficult than the physical side of rehab. There’s a lot of time when you’re alone, there’s a lot of time when you’re contemplating, there’s a lot of time to think. The
mental side is the hardest part. Having good people around you is very key, it’s very important. I definitely have that.”
Bubble still brings the intensity
With the third-seeded Celtics having a commanding 2-0 lead in the series, No. 6 Philadelphia would ordinarily be able to count on going back home to regroup for the next two games.
But not this year. There is no real home-court advantage in the NBA’s bubble and no in-person fans in the arena for the home team to feed off. Still, it hasn’t hurt the atmosphere of the action.
“I think the intensity of the playoffs, the intensity of the seeding games and everything has been high-level basketball,” said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.
Boston’s bench was clearly primed and ready on Wednesday as the backups produced 41 points, a huge improvement from the eight they gave in Game 1. Guard Brad Wanamaker had seven points (3-for-3) and four assists in 23 minutes to contribute to the cause.
“Whether the fans are here or not, we got one goal and it’s to try to make a run at a championship,” said Wanamaker. “Obviously, the fans aren’t here to cheer us on in person, but we know they’re supporting us. It just shows the type of team we are. We have each other’s back -- 2-0, 10-0, whatever the score is -- you see our bench is very engaged in the game and cheering us on.”
Signature play
Stevens identified one specific sequence as his favorite in Wednesday night’s Game 2.
After 76ers star center Joel Embiid blocked a Walker shot in the paint, Walker hustled back to the other end and poked the ball away from Embiid. Tatum grabbed the loose ball for the steal and fired a perfect pass to Brown, who converted an emphatic 360 dunk for a 74-59 C’s advantage with 7:53 left in the third quarter.
“The best play of (Wednesday night) was when (Walker) got blocked at the rim and then ran back and tipped it away from Embiid in transition, and that led to Jaylen’s dunk,” said Stevens. “That was everything we want to be about, on that play, and I think that it was cool that it was Kemba.”