In the midst of an absurdly efficient and historic night for Gordon Hayward in which he went 9-for-9 from the floor and added a 3-for-3 mark from the free-throw line, there was one commonality.
All of Hayward’s attempts came from inside the 3-point arc.
Earlier this season while still trying to get his legs back underneath him after suffering a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia in his debut with the C’s over a year ago, Hayward lacked the explosiveness to get to the basket. His elite finishing touch around the rim that he became known for from his time with the Utah Jazz was absent.