“I’m simply wanting on the image and crying”
“That’s not speculated to appear to be that”
“I’ve been staring on the wall depressed for the previous hour”
This was the scene within the group chat with all my buddies on October 17, 2017, the primary sport of the Boston Celtics’ season and the evening Gordon Hayward broke his leg. It additionally could be the inflection level of Celtics historical past.
Hayward retired on Thursday, 4 years faraway from Boston and 7 from the harm that many followers can’t assist however keep in mind. His Celtics profession was excess of his harm, however it stays probably the most potent “what if?” of the last decade and — paradoxically — was a basic a part of the Celtics’ 2024 championship. It was the second that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s rises started, and sealed the destiny of the Hayward-Kyrie Irving core that will result in the latter’s departure and the eventual building of the championship roster.
In order we are saying goodbye to Hayward’s profession, I wished to recollect how we felt at that second and determine what all of it means seven years later. His harm was so tragic and unforgettable exactly as a result of he already meant a lot to the Celtics, and to me, he nonetheless does. And he grew to become a lot extra to the Celtics than a damaged promise. He requested us to imagine in him, and we did.
Maybe extra surprising than the texts themselves was the truth that all my buddies had been watching. We’re all Celtics followers, certain, however it was uncommon that we’d all find time for a daily season sport, even when it was the season opener. However that was the gravity of that season; we had by no means been extra excited.
Gordon Hayward was not becoming a member of the Celtics as an extra contributor to an already-contending workforce. He had simply put collectively the very best season of his profession for the Utah Jazz, was simply getting into his prime and was speculated to be Boston’s second-best participant behind Irving. He was speculated to be the answer, and he gave us that promise himself.
Hayward’s determination to signal with Boston on July 4, 2017, stays considered one of my most cherished Celtics moments. In my younger reminiscence, the Celtics had by no means signed a giant free agent. Years earlier than, I needed to cope with native radio conspiracy theories about LeBron James, however to no avail. In 2016, I had been satisfied by images of Kevin Durant strolling and speaking with Tom Brady that he would come to Boston, however it wasn’t to be. However Hayward had picked us. Somebody had lastly picked us! And it appeared like, for actual this time, the Japanese Convention may not simply run via Cleveland.
However Hayward because the savior solely lasted 5 minutes. Everybody watching at residence knew instantly that his season was over. The Celtics’ subsequent massive three, consisting of Hayward, Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, would by no means get to point out its tooth. As we speak, it’s inconceivable to simulate the sensation of confusion and anger blended with the simple understanding that life wasn’t truthful. It was that dangerous.
Everybody on the court docket felt like my buddies and I. Gamers appeared away in horror, huddled collectively to regroup and tried something to recuperate from this second. However even the Cavaliers followers felt like we did. The dream of a metropolis and a workforce had been shattered by a freak accident, and it solely took an immediate.
The one different emotion from that evening I keep in mind was denial-fueled hope. I had put so many eggs on this season’s basket that I refused to imagine it was simply over instantly. Jaylen Brown, the then-mostly-unproven ahead who stepped up when Hayward went down, scored 25 factors in 40 minutes, and prompted me to ship this textual content to the identical group chat:
“We have now discovered that Brown is a god”
Maybe much more consequential, although I didn’t comprehend it on the time, was how Hayward’s harm gift-wrapped the Celtics’ beginning Small Ahead place for rookie Jayson Tatum. Having to look at one of many pillars of his workforce go down 5 minutes into his NBA profession should have been dizzying, however Tatum took the brand new accountability in stride. Seven years later, I wouldn’t change a factor about his profession. However for those who requested him in the present day, I wager he’d need these first 5 minutes to have ended otherwise.
Hayward’s Celtics profession was a lot greater than his harm. He was a helpful contributor on two Celtics groups and undoubtedly was a veteran mentor to the 2 younger forwards that simply received Boston a championship. However he was by no means the savior that Celtics followers wished him to be. He little question wished that himself.
Hayward will all the time be a dream deferred for Boston, and we’ll by no means know what historical past would have been like if he hadn’t gone down. I’ll keep in mind his Celtics profession for the harm, certain, but in addition for the promise he gave us and the dedication he confirmed within the face of a physique that refused to cooperate. He might have merely sulked round for his subsequent two seasons and resigned himself to obscurity, however he labored tirelessly to reshape his profession into one thing he and Celtics followers might be happy with.
For that, I’ll proceed to imagine in him.
