Boston Celtics small forward Gordon Hayward is “optimistic” about Boston's chances to win the NBA title this season.
The Celtics, who finished fourth in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, take on the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs.
“I’m definitely optimistic about our chances, and I feel like we have what it takes,” Hayward wrote in his latest blog post. “It’s going to take a lot of discipline, a lot of commitment on our end. It’s hard to win in the NBA and it’s hard to have that discipline and that commitment and that level of execution every single time. The guys on the other side are trying to win, too.”
Before the 2018-19 season started, the Celtics were the heavy favorite to win the Eastern Conference. Beset by chemistry issues stemming from the return of Hayward and Kyrie Irving after a young Boston team nearly made the NBA Finals without them last season, though, it's instead been a very up and down season for the Celtics, who finished 49-33 on the year.
Hayward will be playing in the playoffs for the first time as a member of the Celtics. The playmaking wing averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game this season while shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 83.4 percent from the free-throw line, numbers far below preseason expectations — ones that might have been too high given the extent of the injury that caused him to miss the entirety of last season.
Fortunately, Hayward closed the season out well for the Celtics, and seems to be in a better place right now — both mentally and physically — compared to earlier in the year.
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