Gordon Hayward After Celtics' Sweep of Pacers: 'Just the Beginning for Us'

The Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 110-106 to complete the sweep in their opening-round NBA playoff series, which was a welcome contrast to last year for veteran swingman Gordon Hayward.

Hayward missed almost all of the 2017-18 season after he suffered a fractured ankle in the opening game, so he could only watch from afar as the Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals. 

"Yeah, there's nothing worse than sitting there and not be able to play in the playoffs especially," Hayward said after Sunday's victory, per ESPN.com's Tim Bontemps. "So to be able to be with my teammates, be a part of something like this where we got a chance to sweep the Pacers, after everything that happened last year, it makes it all worth it—no doubt."

He added the Celtics "still got a lot of work to do."

Hayward was excellent in Game 4. He scored a team-high 20 points in 34 minutes off the bench and added three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block to a great all-around performance.

Gordon Hayward Reel

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The 2017 All-Star was understandably feeling good after dispatching the Pacers, but Boston's sweep of Indiana doesn't answer whether the team can bring everything together for a Finals run.

Three of the four games were decided by single digits, and that was without Victor Oladipo on the floor for Indiana. Oladipo's absence was especially glaring when the Pacers tried to close out games.

The path will get much more difficult for the Celtics in the second round, during which they'll almost assuredly meet the Milwaukee Bucks, who are up 3-0 on the Detroit Pistons. Milwaukee won the season series and finished the regular season first in net rating (8.6), per NBA.com.

Unlike last year when Boston beat Milwaukee in the first round, Giannis Antetokounmpo has a stronger supporting cast. The Celtics could pull off the upset, however, if Hayward's Game 4 showing is a taste of what's to come.