Celtics forward Gordon Hayward sent a video message from his hospital bed before the team's home opener on Wednesday night, telling Boston fans: "It's hurting me that I can't be there."
The crowd at the TD Garden for the Celtics' game against the Bucks cheered when Marcus Smart directed fans' attention to the scoreboard, where Hayward appeared wearing a hospital gown and sitting up in bed. The arena hushed to hear the brief message, then erupted in another cheer when it was over.
"What's up, everybody? Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's had me in their thoughts and prayers," Hayward said in the 30-second message, which was also sent out by the team on Twitter .
"I'm going to be all right," Hayward said. "It's hurting me that I can't be there for the home opener. I want nothing more than to be with my teammates and walk out on that floor tonight. But I'll be supporting you guys from here, and wishing you the best of luck."
After signing with Boston in the offseason as a free agent, Hayward was injured in the sixth minute of his first game for the Celtics, crumpling to the floor Tuesday in Cleveland because of a gruesome ankle injury. Players on both teams reacted in horror at the site of Hayward's leg bent unnaturally, but coach Brad Stevens said he did not see the injury live and has avoided watching replays.
"Having known him as long as I've known him, it's tough to see him go through this," said Stevens, who was also Hayward's college coach at Butler. "We'll make sure he knows that we've got our arms around him."
Stevens said doctors confirmed that Hayward has a dislocated left ankle and broken tibia. Surgery will be necessary but it hadn't been scheduled, Stevens said. Hayward is expected to make a full recovery, but the coach did not know if it would be this season.
... Cleveland's victory over Boston in the first game of the NBA season was TNT's second most-watched telecast ever on opening night. The network says the Tuesday telecast peaked with 6.7 million viewers and its audience was a 95 percent increase over last season's opener.
