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Tim BontempsESPN
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward said he knew something was wrong the moment he scored a grade 3 straight ankle injury in the fourth quarter of Boston’s victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their first-round series.
“I knew right away,” Hayward said Thursday in his first interview since the injury. “I heard it, I felt it, and I knew it wasn’t just your casual rolling ankle.
“It was swollen by the time I left the court, so I knew it was absolutely less than normal.”
The injury came at a bad time for the Celtics, who entered the playoffs with high expectations for a deep playoff run thanks to a roster that was completely healthy.
That is no longer the case now that Hayward, who averages 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists in the regular season, while shooting 50% from the field and 38.3% from 3- point range, is outside for at least four weeks. That will keep him on the sidelines through at least one possible second-round showdown with defending champions Toronto Raptors – and with no guarantee he will be ready to go into the playoffs later, if Boston is able to make it Eastern to make Conference finals and beyond without him.
“As far as the timeline is concerned, it’s kind of up in the air,” Hayward said. “It’s exactly how my body reacts to rehabilitation and all that stuff. That’s bad to say. Nobody really knows.”
What Hayward and the Celtics know is that he will not be back soon. Because of that, Hayward said he is looking into the possibility of planning the difficult birth of his fourth child by the time he is out.
The Celtics were ready for Hayward to leave the team a few days in September to be with his wife, Robyn, before the birth.
“I think it’s two separate things,” Hayward said, referring to his injury and the impressive family addition, “but it’s what I see. It’s just very sad about the timing of the whole deal, so I I think I’m just trying to take it day by day, and we’re looking at plans for the baby and all that stuff, so it takes it day by day. “
Hayward’s time with the Celtics is defined by injuries. After signing a maximum four-year contract in 2017, he suffered a horrific left leg and ankle injury in his first game with the team in October for six minutes. He missed the rest of the 2017-18 season and was less than his former self last season as he began to beat the rest that came with a year of rehearsing and not playing.
This season, Hayward has been great for the Celtics. But he got his left hand in LaMarcus Aldridge’s jersey and broke a bone, causing him to miss a month. He also missed time in December with nerve pain in his left foot – the same one he injured two years earlier.
While Hayward, 30, managed to joke and say he could use some “Disney magic” to heal faster when asked if there were any benefits to re-babbling inside the bubble at Walt Disney World Resort, he acknowledged that the mental strain of rehab is a greater challenge than the physical act of trying to get back on the court.
“It’s hard,” he said when asked about the string of injuries. “It’s bad not to pack it in. I think teammates, family, mentors, good people around you, I think that helps with all this, for sure. Like I said, I’m just trying to take it day by day. , honestly, and just trying to attack rehabilitation.I’ve been here before, so I know how to do that.
“The mental side of rehab is far more difficult than the physical side of rehab. There’s a lot of time when you’re alone and a lot of time when you think, a lot of time to think. The mental side is the hardest part “I think good people around you are very important, it’s very important, and I’m sure I am.”
While it was frustrating to see his teammates in Game 2 without seeing him, Hayward said the way the Boston bankers stepped up and helped the Celtics blow out the Sixers and take a 2-0 series did something of ‘ e sting it.
“I mean, glad we played well,” Hayward said. “The nice thing about our team is that we have a lot of talent. A lot of guys who can fix the slap, so that’s definitely a plus. I’m glad we’re playing well. I think we’re playing our best basketball after so hopefully we can continue that. “
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