Hayward Goes Down, The Celtics Rise Up

By Liam Day

     Less than five minutes into the NBA season, it was a terrible time to be a Celtics fan. In fact, most NBA fans in general would have thought to erase the Celtics from their radar of teams that could stand in the way of Lebron in the Eastern Conference. An eventful offseason for Boston quickly lead to the signing of All-Star small forward Gordon Hayward. The entire Quicken Loans Arena was stunned after Hayward hit the floor awkwardly, immediately pointing to his ankle. As the replays begun showing on the jumbo-tron, fans placed their hands over their eyes, witnessing one of the most gruesome injuries in NBA history occur right at the peak of Hayward’s career. Despite the horrific loss, Boston has refused to let their season go.

     Hayward immediately opened up to the fans about how he is feeling, "The Celtics organization has been just over the top in every aspect. They know I will not be back on the court at all this season, but they have been making sure I have every resource I need and are making me feel like I am a part of the team." (ESPN) Gordon Hayward made his first career All-Star game last year representing the Utah Jazz after he averaged a career-high 22 points per game. The Celtics signed him to a four-year 130 million dollar contract, and this wasn't even the highest offer he received. The Celtics believed with this addition, they had finally matched up with the Cavaliers, having traded former starter, and All Star guard Isaiah Thomas, for their superstar point guard, Kyrie Irving. Sophomore and NBA fan at Glenelg, Nathan Swales said, “Even without Hayward, the Cavs are too old to keep up with the Celtics young squad.” The starting five consisted of Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, and Aron Baynes and average just 24 years old.

     Two games into the season, Boston was 0-2 with losses to the one team they hoped to stop (the Cavaliers) and the Milwaukee Bucks. Only two games into the season and it seemed like the whole city of Boston had given up on the 2017 season. Sophomore and Boston Celtics fan Tristan Stepniak stated, “Now the Celtics are missing the one thing that is most important to stopping the Cavs, someone to slow down Lebron James.” However, Kyrie Irving took the initiative to lead his own team as he always wanted by leaving Cleveland. Averaging over 20 points per game he has sparked a 12-game winning streak with what seems like a team run by one big name. Boston looks to show the NBA that they better prepare themselves for a team to be the face of the NBA when Hayward returns healthy.