CLEVELAND – Gordon Hayward hit the floor Tuesday night, and suddenly everything that was supposed to matter didn’t. Six minutes into the season opener and there was Hayward, swiveling his body toward the Cavaliers’ bench, his ankle fractured, his foot twisted nearly 120 degrees, hanging limply off his leg. Referee Monty McCutchen immediately signaled a timeout as Cavs players seated on the bench recoiled, leaped to their feet and raced off the floor.
Dislocated ankle, Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. Fractured tibia, he continued. Players in white uniforms and green swarmed Hayward, offering encouragement as he was carted off the floor.
In 2014, Paul George suffered a gruesome compound fracture that sent shockwaves throughout the NBA. This was on that level. A backdoor cut, a lob, a play Hayward has run hundreds of times. On this one he found himself sandwiched between LeBron James and Jae Crowder. His leg pinned underneath him, his ankle snapping from the weight. On the court, players knew it instantly. James prayed, Dwyane Wade took a knee and Celtics players huddled together on the other end of the floor.
“You hurt for him,” Stevens said. “You really feel for him.”
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