BOSTON – Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens knew it would be an emotional night not only for Gordon Hayward but also for Kyrie Irving and Daniel Theis, who missed significant time, including the playoffs, last season. “Do your job on the first possession,” Stevens said before the game. “Let everything take care of itself. Because that’s the only way to go about it. I know it’s an emotional night. It’s emotional for everybody to get to play an NBA game again.” Stevens also predicted some sloppy basketball, especially in the first quarter. “There’ll be a lot of energy. There’ll probably be some missed opportunities early because of that,” he said. He was right on both counts. Hayward, who was playing in his first game since sustaining a gruesome ankle injury in the season opener one year ago, didn’t register his first points of the season until 11:50 of the second quarter. And Irving, who was playing in his first game since March 11, missed his first eight shots and went scoreless in the first half. The Sixers had their own issues with 11 turnovers in the opening two quarters. Hayward and Irving were expectedly rusty, but the Celtics still defeated Philadelphia, 105-87, illustrating why the Celtics are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference: they are a deep and talented team. Second-year forward Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 23 points, third-year guard Jaylen Brown had 12 points, and Boston’s bench combined for 44 points: 16 from Marcus Morris and 11 from Terry Rozier. Hayward finished with 10. "Our strength has to be in our depth," Stevens said. "When one guy doesn’t have it going, the rest of team has to pick him up, and everybody has to play with great effort because the guy behind them is chomping at the bit to get in.” The Celtics were far from their best in Game 1, but it’s easy to see how good they will be. They just beat a Sixers team with intentions of playing deep into May and possibly beyond. "We’re a long way from being really good," Stevens said. "But if we play hard, we have a chance to get there.” Just wait until Hayward and Irving regain their rhythm. Irving had the worst offensive night of the two, going 2 for 14 from the field (1 for 8 on three-pointers) for seven points in 29 minutes. Hayward found some offense with his mid-range game in the second half and finished with 10 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes. Stevens was careful with their minutes, and he can afford to do that given Boston’s options. Ben Simmons had 19 points, 15 rebounds and eights assists, and Joel Embiid had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia. An underappreciated return on Philadelphia's side: Assistant Monty Williams was back on an NBA bench as coach for the first time since the death of his wife, Ingrid, in an automobile accident in February 2016. Stevens called it. It was an emotional night for more than just one person. Follow Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt<doc-sep>Gordon Hayward is back. The Boston Celtics forward made his first appearance at TD Garden as a member of the Boston Celtics and we can say it was a success. Yeah, he looked rusty and it wasn't pretty as he finished the game on 4-of-12 shooting. But he scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds, notched four steals and more importantly, didn't get injured. As the Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in convincing fashion by a score of 105-87 on Tuesday night, Hayward commented on his first game back from the leg injury: "It was so good to be out there. "@ROSGO21 chats with Gordon Hayward after the Celtics' opening night win! pic.twitter.com/wLNZWb0ENc — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 17, 2018 Like I said before, there were clear instances throughout the game where Hayward didn't look like the All-Star forward from the 2016-17 season with the Utah Jazz. Heck, he looked completely different as he did look tentative and he did look scared to engage in contact at times. However, this is a work in progress. This is a guy that's returning from the most gruesome injury ever seen in an NBA game and the fact that he returned without any sign of injury or further ailment is what's considered a success. The Celtics' stars, Hayward and Kyrie Irving, struggled throughout the night as they combined for 6-of-26 from the field, but Boston still made Philly look at least a couple of steps behind them the entire night. Hayward returned successfully and the Celtics proved that they're still the class of the East. I'd say that's a good night.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up fornow and never miss the top F1 stories again Hayward completed his first match for the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night in their victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, despite having signed in July 2017. The 28-year-old suffered a horror injury on opening night last year against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as he broke his tibia and dislocated his angle six minutes into the match. After undergoing surgery on the ankle, Hayward made his much anticipated return last night, and spoke about how he put the memories of his injury behind him to get back onto the court. “It brought back a lot of memories, a lot of dark memories and dark times, but to be honest it was cool to see some of the progression,” he said.<doc-sep>BOSTON – Moments before tipping off their season against the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics played a tribute video on the TD Garden jumbotron. Typically, such videos feature a former impact player who is being welcomed back to the city of Boston, but this one was for a man who had yet to even play a regular season game inside the arena. This was a tribute to Gordon Hayward. Nearly one year ago to the day, Hayward endured a gruesome leg injury that ended his first season with the Celtics almost as soon as it began. What followed was an arduous road to recovery that required patience, faith, hard work and determination, all of unimaginable proportions. The Celtics wanted to share all of this with their fans Tuesday night to show just how badly Hayward wanted to get back onto the court to represent the city of Boston. Among the thousands of eyes that gazed up at the jumbotron in admiration were a pair belonging to Hayward, himself. The 6-foot-8 wing stood by the Celtics bench with his teammates and relived the trials and tribulations that he had just finished going through. “It brought back a lot of memories,” Hayward reflected late Tuesday night, after the Celtics had defeated the 76ers 105-87. “A lot of dark memories and dark times.” But tonight marked the start of a new year. And with the flip of the basketball calendar, Hayward’s darkness turned into light. After the video was over, the 28-year-old veteran took a seat on Boston’s bench and waited for his formal, and long-overdue, introduction to the fans inside TD Garden. Public address announcer Eddie Palladino started off the Celtics roll call with forward Jayson Tatum, who was followed by guard Jaylen Brown. And then came the six words Hayward had been waiting to hear over the Garden PA system since he signed with the Celtics more than 15 months ago: “FROM BUTLER, NO. 20, GORDON HAYWARD.” Hayward bounced off his chair and skipped through a gauntlet of high-fiving teammates, before rising up for a chest bump celebration with Marcus Morris. All the while, the sold-out TD Garden crowd showered him with thunderous applause that lifted his spirit beyond measure. The hours leading up to this moment hadn’t been easy for Hayward. Throughout the evening, he experienced flashbacks of last season’s traumatizing opener, particularly while he was warming up and when he ran out through the tunnel for the first time. But once his name was announced and the lights came on for the opening tip, Hayward was overcome only with excitement. “It was amazing to be out there on the court again for a regular-season game,” he later stated. “My adrenaline was definitely pumping those first three or four minutes. I think everybody’s adrenaline was pumping, because it was sloppy at first, but it was great just to be out there. It was a big step for me.” The next big step was making his first shot. This occurred on the opening possession of the second quarter, when Hayward dribbled into a jumper on the right elbow to break a 21-21 tie. Getting that first shot to fall was an obvious pick-me-up, because Hayward’s next trip up the floor ended in similar fashion – this time on a jumper from the left elbow. Hayward would wind up connecting on four of his 12 attempts from the field, including one from long range. He finished with 10 points, five rebounds and a career-high-tying four steals during 25 minutes of play. The stats, however, weren’t a concern for Hayward. He was just happy to complete his first game at TD Garden. “That was a big step for me mentally,” he said. “It was a big confidence-booster just to finish that first game. Being back out on the court – that was a big hurdle.” The next hurdle will be shaking off all the rust that accumulated during his year away from the game. Hayward is very much looking forward to taking that step, but he also knows that it will take time. “Part of it is just having patience and realizing that it’s not all going to come at once,” Hayward admitted. “I think as long as I can do things when I’m out there on the court that can help us get wins, then I’ll be happy.” As for how he felt after Tuesday night, Hayward could not have been much happier. Right in front of his eyes, he saw his patience, faith, hard work and determination all pay off. The agony of last year’s injury was finally behind him. Now a new year has officially begun.<doc-sep>
Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving was certain that his first shot of the 2018-19 season, a step-back 18-footer less than four minutes into the game against the Philadelphia 76ers, was money. He was mildly surprised when it rolled off, but no matter. Thirty-eight seconds after that, he launched a 3-pointer that he was convinced was going to drop too. It didn't. In the first half of the NBA's season opener at the TD Garden, Irving took eight shots -- and missed all of them. That has happened only one other time in his career: On Dec. 6, 2013, against the Atlanta Hawks, when he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. "Yeah,'' Irving told ESPN, "that was the game when [former Cavs coach] Mike Brown took me out after I missed [my ninth shot] in the second half and didn't play me again. I remember it well.'' Celtics coach Brad Stevens did no such thing. He continued to play both Irving and his backcourt mate, Gordon Hayward, who was playing in his first game since a gruesome injury in Game 1 of the 2017-18 season derailed his entire season. Even as the two stars combined for 2-for-12 shooting from behind the 3-point line, the Celtics rolled to a 105-87 win over their division rival. Expectations were that Hayward would be rusty and perhaps even a little timid returning to the floor after such a traumatic injury. Less discussed was the long layoff that Irving experienced following a pair of knee surgeries that prematurely ended his season in March. "Everyone's been talking about Gordon being out for 12 months, but Kyrie has been out six," Stevens said. Irving said he felt great throughout the game and considered each shot he took a good one. "I think any shot I'm taking is a great shot -- unless it's double-contested or Embiid is meeting me at the rim," he said with a laugh. "At the same time, I've been so hyped up to play ... but you gotta just keep shooting." Hayward showed a hint of hesitation on the first possession of the game, when he caught the ball in the corner and had a brief open look at the basket. He sized up his defender, Ben Simmons, prepared to shoot and then thought better of it. Later in the quarter, he ventured in the paint for a reverse layup with Joel Embiid in pursuit and came up short. "My adrenaline was definitely bumping those first three or four minutes,'' Hayward said. Hayward admitted that he did think about the devastating injury from last season, which left him writhing in pain, his ankle grotesquely dislocated. "It definitely crossed my mind, especially warming up and running out through the tunnel,'' he said. "Just thought about maybe not doing any back door plays this game. "It [the injury] was a major part of my life at this point in time, so I just tried to get that out of my head as soon as I started playing. And once you're out there on the court, some of that disappears." A glimpse of the vintage Utah Jazz Hayward emerged early in the second quarter, when he hit back-to-back jumpers, the second over the outstretched arms of the 7-foot Embiid. He finished with 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting in 25 minutes. He added five rebounds and played completely turnover-free. Irving checked out with seven points on 2-of-14 shooting and a team-high seven assists. "There's a difference between going 0-for-8 at the half and never shooting again and going 2-for-14,'' Irving said. "I'm perfectly fine with that. Brad was encouraging me. My teammates were encouraging me.'' Told it might take a little time for Hayward and Irving to find their footing together, he smiled. "It won't take as much time as you think," he said. "We've been playing great together for a couple of months now."