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Boston Celtics: 3 ways Gordon Hayward inspired the 2017-18 season

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

BOSTON, MA - MAY 27: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Boston Celtics looks on prior to Game Seven of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on May 27, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 27: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Boston Celtics looks on prior to Game Seven of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on May 27, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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That dude named Kyrie

Kyrie Irving was going to be the man in Boston even if Gordon Hayward didn’t go down in the first minutes of the 2017-18 NBA season.

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In a way, he had a different amount of pressure put on him than Hayward.  Irving was the disgruntled star who basically forced his way out of Cleveland and was traded for fan favorite Isaiah Thomas.  All eyes were already on him, but when Hayward went down, those eyes intensified.

"“Losing Gordon was just, a few more eyes on me that I had to be aware of,” Irving said back in March, via NBC Sports Boston.  “It’s tough because it is an adjustment.  Coming into a new environment and you kind of expect this to be the team, and one big piece goes down.  You have to figure it out from there.”"

When healthy, Kyrie Irving did figure it out.  With a bigger load on his shoulders, he adapted to Brad Stevens team basketball and led the Boston Celtics in scoring, while playing team defense and displaying leadership on young players like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier.

While Hayward’s injury was devastating, it did allow Kyrie Irving the opportunity grow in the Boston spotlight as the superstar of the team.  It also inserted a hunger in the five-time All Star to win a championship in Boston.

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