Seven weeks ago, Gordon Hayward made his return to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, site of his first game in a Celtics uniform and the night that forever altered, at the very least, how we think about his career. He admitted that night that he took a moment to think about “the aftermath of everything” to do with his grotesque ankle injury, one which still has him struggling to find the consistency that made him the marquee player Boston sought for so long.
Hayward played great on Feb. 5, potting 18 points on 9 of 14 shots, including — as he noted — a dunk.