Sunday 20 September 2020 15:12, UK
Gordon Hayward admitted he was not 100 per cent but vowed to give the Celtics 'whatever I can' after returning from injury in Boston's Game 3 win over Miami on Saturday night.
Hayward came off the bench for the Celtics in their 117-106 win over the Heat that gave them a foothold in the Eastern Conference Finals following losses in Games 1 and 2. He contributed six points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals in 31 minutes of play.
Speaking after the game Hayward, who injured his ankle in Game 1 of Boston's opening-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers over a month ago, said: "It felt weird out there. It has been four or five weeks since I played basketball. It was really fun to be back out there with the guys. I just tried to impact our team in winning ways. Whatever I could do.
"(After the) first five minutes, I was gassed. I'm tired right now. My ankle is pretty sore. I'm proud of the way we fought. That was the first time I've played five-on-five basketball (since my injury) because of the way my rehab needed to be done here. It has been so different. I haven't had an opportunity to get going.
"I'm definitely not 100 per cent but it is what it is. This is the Eastern Conference Finals so I'm going to give us whatever I can. As we keep going, I'll find my rhythm and be better and better. That's the plan, at least.
"I'm just trying to help us offensively, (being) somebody who can get into the paint and create, also trying to help us rebound and bring the ball up. If we can run, they can't set their defense. We have so many athletes, it can make things difficult for them.
Meanwhile Miami's Jimmy Butler felt the Heat let themselves down after a run of blistering performances which have already accounted for the Indiana Pacers and the top-seeded Milwaukeee Bucks.
Ten wins and just one defeat had underpinned their remarkable playoff campaign so far and Butler knows they'll need to be better if the Celtics continue to improve.
"We didn't play hard enough. I think we didn't do anything that we said that we were going to do," he said.
"We knew how they were going to attack us, we weren't helping each other. We weren't making an extra pass a lot of the times.
"We have to play basketball the way we have been playing the games that we have been winning, we understand that.
"There's nothing that Coach can say, there's nothing that OG can say. We get it, we have to be the ones to fix that."
Coach Erik Spoelstra was full of praise for Boston after the defeat. Miami had been forced to overturn deficits in each of the first two games but couldn't do it again despite their fourth-quarter efforts.
"Look, this is the playoffs, so you deal with whatever is in front of you," he said before turning attention to Wednesday's Game 4
"They [Boston] came out, with great force in this game and you do have to credit them for that, they sustained it for the better majority of the game.
"We were on our heels most of the game, flattening us out with our execution, getting us into the end of the clock on too many possessions. And then I think everybody can see that the dribble attack penetration in the paint, we weren't able to contain the ball all night, and you have to credit them. They were playing with great force."
