Hayward: 'I'm feeling like an athlete again'
On the road to recovery, Gordon Hayward is starting to feel like himself again.
The Boston Celtics small forward has been working his way back to the court since suffering a season-ending ankle injury just minutes into the first game of the campaign against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and provided an encouraging update Friday on his rehabilitation from a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia.
"It's all been going really well. I'm happy to report I'm feeling like an athlete again," the All-Star wrote in his personal blog. "I've been in Indianapolis for the last couple weeks making some really good progress. I leave the hotel every morning at about 9:30 am and don't get back 'til about 6 p.m. We do a lot of running mechanics, physical therapy, a lift of some sort, and then court work for another few hours. It's a full day, every day. I'm definitely moving along as planned, and progressing really well."
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Coach Brad Stevens revealed Hayward participated in Saturday's walk-through ahead of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cavaliers.
"We let him be a part of the walk-through, which was fun, just to have him back out here," he told reporters. "He's getting better too but, again, we’re going to have to figure out how to be the best version of ourselves as we continue on through the season without (Hayward and Kyrie Irving)."
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Hayward signed with Boston last summer after averaging a career-best 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game with the Utah Jazz. He's tried his best to remain involved with the Celtics and will be on the bench for Sunday's round opener at TD Garden.
The 28-year-old forward went into great detail about how proud he is of the teammates who've stepped up without him and Irving, who underwent season-ending knee surgery last month. Despite entering the matchup as underdogs against the lower-seeded Cavaliers, Hayward wrote he believes his Celtics will topple LeBron James and Co., who've represented the East in the past three NBA Finals.