Gordon Hayward: Celtics Can 'Make a Run at the Whole Thing'

The Boston Celtics came within one win of the NBA Finals last season, and that was without having All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

With everyone expected to be healthy for the 2018-19 season, they like their odds.

Hayward revealed on Thursday, via ESPN's Jacob Wolf, that he believes his team is a legitimate contender.

"The East is still going to be a tough conference; I think a lot of people are writing the East off. There were some surprises last year in the East, and there are still going to be teams that have young talent that gained a lot of experience last year that will be tough matchups for us. That said, I'm confident that we've got everything we need to make the run at the whole thing."

Boston, of course, put itself among the favorites in the East last offseason by signing Hayward and trading for Irving. It would not be long before those championship aspirations faced major hurdles.

Hayward was lost for the season on opening night after suffering a gruesome leg injury. Irving, on the other hand, appeared in 60 games during his first year in Boston but did not play after March 11 due to knee surgery, missing the team's playoff run as a result.

While some teams may have crumbled after losing their two best players, the Celtics used a team effort to push through the adversity.

Al Horford led the way with another All-Star performance, Jayson Tatum made a serious run at the Rookie of the Year award, Jaylen Brown took a big step forward, and Terry Rozier balled out in the postseason. And that's not even mentioning the impact that players like Marcus Smart made.

LeBron James' eight-year dominance of the East has come to an end now that he is in the West with the Los Angeles Lakers. With Irving and Hayward expected to be ready for the upcoming season, Boston appears to be the favorite to come out of the East.

It won't be a cakewalk to the Finals, though. The Toronto Raptors were the No. 1 seed in the East last season, thanks to a franchise-record 59 victories. The scary part for Celtics fans? The Raptors may have just gotten better by trading for former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and three-and-D guard Danny Green.

Hayward acknowledged, via Wolf, that Leonard makes the Raptors a threat:

"Toronto was a good team with DeMar, so with Kawhi, they'll be just as good. He changes them a little bit. They'll for sure be a good team. I still like our chances, and I feel like we've got enough to win the whole thing. He's a guy that will add some toughness to their team defensively, a little versatility. He's a two-time defensive player of the year, so he's always a matchup problem out there on the wing. We'll be ready for him."

Not only does Boston have to worry about Toronto, but Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid should make the Philadelphia 76ers a formidable opponent for years to come. 

Boston showed off its depth last season as it pushed James and Co. to the brink of elimination in the Eastern Conference Finals. Now that they are getting a former Finals hero and an All-Star back on the court, the Celtics are going to be a tough out in the East.