Gordon Hayward sits on the floor after falling on his ankle in the first quarter of Tuesday’s NBA season opener. Boston eventually fought back from an 18-point deficit to lose, 102-99, but the result was largely irrelevant. Hayward’s injury, and the impact it had on both the Celtics and the rest of the Eastern Conference, pushed all other story lines to the rear. I really feel for him.”With Hayward sidelined, at minimum, for months, it’s hard to see the Celtics as anything but a mid-tier playoff team in the Eastern Conference, at best. There already wasn’t much of a gap between the two teams even before Hayward’s injury.

Source: Washington Post October 18, 2017 03:10 UTC