Gordon Hayward is basking in what he expects to be the first of many postseason highs.
The Boston Celtics forward declared Sunday that his team’s sweep of the Indiana Pacers is “just the beginning” of their playoff journey. The Celtics advanced to the second round of the playoffs with their 110-106 win over the Pacers in Game 4, and Boston’s performance in the opening series is bound to renew optimism among those whom the team’s underwhelming regular season disappointed.
After the game, a reporter asked Hayward what the series against the Pacers meant to him in light of the devastating injury he suffered last season and his grueling months’-long recovery. Here’s what he said.
“So to be able to be with my teammates, be a part of something like this where we got a chance to sweep the Pacers, after everything that happened last year, it makes it all worth it — no doubt. … It’s just the beginning for us. We still got a lot of work to do.”
Boston most likely will take on the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Bucks undoubtedly will represent a stiffer test of the Celtics’ mettle than the Pacers.
Hayward’s attitude seems just right for the scale of the challenge his team almost certainly will face.
