CLEVELAND — Kyrie Irving's much-anticipated return to Cleveland on Tuesday took the worst unexpected turn possible with 6:45 left in the first quarter.
That's when Celtics forward Gordon Hayward crumpled to the floor on an alley-oop attempt with a fractured left ankle, a gruesome injury that undercut the atmosphere at Quicken Loans Arena and took any real meaning away from the season opener between the heavy favorites to meet again in the Eastern Conference finals in 2018.
This was no longer about Irving — even if the Cleveland fans booed him non-stop through four quarters in the Cavaliers' 102-99 victory. This was about something else far bigger now. As Jaylen Brown said afterward, one of Boston's new team leaders was down. Hayward is out indefinitely. It's on Irving to help lead the Celtics forward in the aftermath.
"It's not a great sight to see," Irving said of Hayward's injury. "But you have to pick yourself up and keep on playing. We understand that with G, and we'll continue to pray for him and be there for him as best we can."
MORE: Celtics face big question with Hayward out: What now?
It's not about Irving being "the man" or "the kid" anymore.
The heel must go. That means no more unnecessary shots at Cleveland or media "Mad Libs" with LeBron James. The Cavs showed they are still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, and they even showed Isaiah Thomas on the JumboTron as a reminder of the player they have coming back.
"Kyrie the Kid" just isn't a black hat worth putting on. Like Thomas, Irving can be the gutsy leader for Boston now. He must be the steadying force for this team, even if it comes with the edge of jawing back-and-forth with James with 11:15 remaining in the third quarter. There's nothing wrong with that. The Celtics need more of that now.
They need Irving to be the hero. He led a valiant second-half comeback and finished with 22 points and 10 assists — and those boos turned up again in the second half once the Celtics started to threaten the Cavaliers and James, who nearly recorded a triple-double around a new supporting cast.
"Really hard game for a guy to have to play in," Boston coach Brad Stevens said of Irving's return to Cleveland. "Certainly first game of the season with all the emotions to go through it. How he can play at that level is beyond me."
Now, it's about Irving the teammate, leader and locker-room presence. Boston might find more value in how that unfolds more than anything else for the remainder of the 2017-18 season. Hayward's injury leaves a hole in Boston's starting lineup and a poignant psychological hurdle to clear that won't be easy. When Irving was traded to Boston on Aug. 22 in a blockbuster deal that sent Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and a 2018 first-round pick to the Cavs (along with an eventual second-round pick to finish off the trade), this scenario couldn't have been anywhere near his mind.
Again, worst unexpected turn possible.
"It's tough," Irving said. "I've seen a few injuries in my career, and I've had a few and I've seen a few. Probably two of the worst ones I've been in the game watching. One was with (Team) USA and one was tonight."
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Of course, Irving was talking about Paul George's injury. Hayward's looked just as bad, and it took time for players on both sides to recover. Cleveland outscored Boston 20-7 for the rest of the first quarter. James and Co. built a 54-38 lead and didn't stop. Just when it looked like the Cavs would dust the Celtics in a patented-blowout Irving helped engineer so many times at the Q, Boston battled back and trimmed the lead to one point before the fourth quarter.
What was the difference?
"Our fight," Irving said. "Understanding that the game was going to slow down. The young guys we have on this team, they were really energetic, including me. We all just had to calm down."
Irving dropped three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and the back-and-forth battle both teams waited for all offseason began in earnest. That's what both sides wanted, and it went down to the wire. The Celtics had two chances to tie in the end, but Brown missed a 3-pointer, and Irving's last-second, double-clutch 3-pointer fell short. That's when Irving walked over to Brown with a message.
"Do what you need to do to get over this one," Irving said. "But we have another one tomorrow."
That's right. The home opener against Milwaukee at TD Garden will feel a little bit different now, but it doesn't have to be a downer. This can be an opportunity for Irving.
The kid becomes the man, and the heel becomes the hero.
If that happens, maybe even a few of the boos in Cleveland will turn to cheers.
