When the Celtics arrived in the Orlando bubble last July to resume the season following a four-month pause because of COVID-19, coach Brad Stevens wasn’t sure what to expect. But then his team found a rhythm in its seeding games, winning five of six before sitting its starters in the finale against the Wizards.
Gordon Hayward was at the center of that surge before he sprained his right ankle in the playoff opener against the 76ers. He missed that series and the conference semifinals against the Raptors, and was clearly not fully recovered when he returned in Game 3 of the conference finals against the Heat.