The atmosphere was electric in Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena arena as last season's beaten NBA finalists hosted the new-look Boston Celtics in a heavyweight showdown to signal the return of the NBA regular season.
Kyrie Irving was loudly booed every time he touched the ball early on as expected, but despite Al Horford being the only starter returning from last season Boston looked to find a rhythm early on.
Unfortunately, the mood of the entire night shifted not long into the first quarter. Gordon Hayward - a high profile acquisition from Utah in the summer - sustained an injury while trying to connect with a lob from Kyrie Irving, as he landed awkwardly on his leg due to being put off balance by the Cavs' defenders.
The following footage does not show what was seen live on TV immediately after as the camera cut to the injured player before the severity of the injury was known.
Hayward's ankle was visibly detached in a manner Irish sports fans will be unfortunately familiar with from earlier in the year, so instead what you will see is the surreal reaction from the arena, the players, the commentators who fall silent for over a minute, and a replay that shows how the injury happened. Gordon Hayward was also given a standing ovation as he left the court.
His first season with the Celtics likely ended in less than 6 minutes, the TNT reporters soon confirmed that it was a fractured left ankle. It is absolutely gutting for Gordon Hayward and we can only hope that he makes a full recovery.
The reactions of both the Celtics and Cavs players were understandable, and incredibly after taking some time to regroup the show went on. To their credit, the Celtics rallied in the third quarter to come back from a half-time deficit and were right in it until the final minute, but the Cavs took the win 99-102.
On social media, there was naturally a huge reaction as hundreds of millions of eyes were on this game. Former and current pros, celebrities and fans alike wished Hayward luck with his recovery having seen the incident happen live.
Scenes at the Quicken Loans Arena.. Images speak for themselves.. Get well soon Gordon Hayward #NBA pic.twitter.com/0Vvhc4TYcw
— Muky (@YoungMuky) October 18, 2017
Heart goes out to @gordonhayward Hate to see injuries like that....prayers up for a full recovery
— Harrison Barnes (@hbarnes) October 18, 2017
Lord , Carry Him Now @gordonhayward pic.twitter.com/jEnvghETW1
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) October 18, 2017
Never like to see that. Best wishes to @gordonhayward
— Jozy Altidore (@JozyAltidore) October 18, 2017
Can't even put into words.
Gordon Hayward.
Feeling for you man.
Absolutely gut wrenching.— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) October 18, 2017
Prayers to my brother @gordonhayward pic.twitter.com/WigEE3BFPP
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) October 18, 2017
Man, nothing but prayers to Gordon Hayward!
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) October 18, 2017
Prayers for GH
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) October 18, 2017
