Gordon Hayward was the best player on the floor in the Boston Celtics' decisive 128-95 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena on Tuesday night, and it served as an example of how tough the C's are to beat when the veteran forward performs at a high level.
Hayward scored a team-high 30 points on 12-for-16 shooting, along with seven rebounds and four assists in just 28 minutes.
The Celtics, despite their inconsistency throughout the regular season, should be a difficult out in the playoffs given their excellent talent and depth. We know Kyrie Irving is going to bring his A-game when playoff time comes. We know Al Horford will be a matchup problem for a lot of teams -- looking at you, Philadephia 76ers.
The less certain scenario is Hayward's play. In a lot of ways, he's the x-factor for the Celtics in the final month of the regular season and into the playoffs.
The following stats paint a good picture of how well the team performs when Hayward is on top of his game. Here are the Celtics' win/loss records when Hayward accomplishes these stat milestones in a game.
--50+ FG%: 18-2
--2+ 3P made: 14-5
--15+ points: 13-2
--5+ assists: 10-5
--10+ FGA: 17-6
The Celtics' depth is arguably their strongest attribute as a team. Very few (if any) teams around the league are able to bring players as talented as Hayward and Jaylen Brown off the bench. Not only is Hayward a capable scorer who can also get really hot from 3-point range, he's a very good playmaker, too, and can serve as a primary ball-handler in any lineup.
Boston Celtics
This type of versatility makes Hayward quite valuable, and if he can play anywhere close to how he did Tuesday night for the rest of the season (or at least on a more consistent basis), the Celtics should be able to avoid most of the long scoring struggles that have plagued them whenever Kyrie Irving is resting on the bench.
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