Chris Snan, Staff Columnist~
Oct. 17, 2017 marked the start of the NBA regular season, and just like that, the wait is over. Teams, players and fans have been waiting all summer for this day. Everyone was excited to see the effects of the offseason, so what better way to end the wait than with a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics?
Two of, arguably, the best teams in the Eastern Conference were set to go head-to-head, but that’s not the only detail people were looking at for the game. The bigger question was who would do better: Kyrie Irving or Lebron James? As we all know, Irving changed the atmosphere during the summer when he decided he wanted to leave “The Land” and become the star of another team, hence why he’s now in Boston. Before that move, Irving and James had been on the same team for the past three years. In fact, they even won a championship together, and everyone was talking about the talent the two displayed and how well they played together. But times changed, and now the two former teammates have become bitter rivals in the chase for a ring.
This story was unfortunately put on hold, and all the excitement came crashing down on Tuesday due to the brutal injury to star small forward, Gordon Hayward, of the Boston Celtics. Hayward, much like Irving, joined the Celtics this past summer, which raised the odds of the Celtics winning the championship this year. However, those hopes might have been destroyed when Hayward was forced to leave in the first game of the season – the game between Cleveland and Boston.
Unfortunately, we all witnessed the brutal ankle injury (which later was revealed as a dislocation of the ankle) in the first quarter of the game, which left Hayward helpless on the hardwood. There was a collective gasp, and everyone in the arena, including the players, just put their heads down as Hayward lay there. Eventually, the medical professionals on the sidelines had to carry him off the court, in what we know now was the last time we’d see Hayward for the remainder of the season. Injuries like this one are very tragic and they put a damper on all the built-up excitement, especially if you’re a fan of the Celtics. But, the show must go on, and now we’ll have to wait until next year to see how the Celtics really play.