Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from crushing game two defeat

Takeaway No. 3) They’re seemingly one piece away… could it be Hayward?

Like we said in the introductory slide, and as we brushed up on in the previous takeaway, these past two games in the Eastern Conference Finals have been ones in which the Boston Celtics could very realistically have won.

In the end, obviously, things didn’t wind up working out and now they find themselves down two games to none.

The important thing to realize, however, is that this Cs team still is not at full strength, as they have been without their fourth option in Gordon Hayward for virtually the entire postseason.

With him in tow, wins could prove to be a lot easier to come by.

Seen as a massive X-factor in this series, the former All-Star’s averages of 7.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 50 percent shooting from the floor and 38 percent shooting from deep have sorely been missed throughout this series.

Through these two games, it has seemed as though this talented Celtics team has played like they’re one piece shy of actually contending — might that be Hayward?

Now we’re quite aware that he may not be in “game shape”, as he has missed substantial time since spraining his ankle in game one of the Quarterfinals, but his offensive-minded skill set could certainly prove to be of some use for Boston, especially in the third quarter.

With rumors being that he could suit up for game three, we could finally be seeing this core fully healthy again, just in time for a must-win scenario against Miami.

As game two proved, the Boston Celtics could really use a healthy Hayward right about now.