Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from 2017-18 season opener

2. Celtics finish strong despite adversity

The Boston Celtics were crushed by Hayward’s early injury, and it showed in their first half play. The team did not crack 30 points until late in the second quarter and was down 54-38 at halftime.

However, the Celtics turned things around in impressive fashion in the third quarter. The team finished the quarter on a 28-11 run after being down by as many as 18 points. Boston actually took the lead 71-69 right before a buzzer-beating triple from Derrick Rose to close out the period.

While the Celtics ultimately lost the game, they were right in the thick of it until Kyrie Irving’s potentially game-tying 3-pointer fell short at the buzzer. Even without one of their star players, the team kept pace with the best team in the Eastern Conference and one that knocked them out of the playoffs in five games last season.

While it is tough to see the positives in this game for the Celtics, their competitiveness late in the game without one of their two star players was certainly encouraging.