How the Boston Celtics will Score without Irving in the Playoffs

The Boston Celtics might struggle to score points in the playoffs.

When Gordon Hayward went down five minutes into the season, Boston’s championship hopes were essentially dashed. Celtics fans had hope – Kyrie Irving was as great as expected, Jayson Tatum was better than anyone expected, Al Horford was playing the best defense of his career. Even without Hayward, Boston has looked like the best team in the East for stretches of the season.

Getting through Golden State or Houston, though? It seemed out of reach even in the best of times. Boston is set up to contend for titles for years to come, but without its 127 million dollar free agent acquisition, expectations were greatly diminished. The…