Avery Bradley, obrońca Celtics, ma coraz większe problemy ze zdrowiem. Podczas G4 w Filadelfii kolejny raz wybił dokuczający mu bark i jego występ przed ważnym meczem w Bostonie stoi pod dużym znakiem zapytania.
Bradley nie uczestniczył w niedzielnym treningu C’s i decyzja o jego występie ma być podjęta przed pierwszym gwizdkiem.
It came out. It went right back in, which is crazy. It’s a tough thing, what he’s going through. A lot of players would not be playing. (…) It’s his first playoffs and he’s dealing with stuff. It’s just tough. It really is. I swear, a lot of people would not be playing and the only reason that he is is because he wants to. But I am concerned at some point that he may not be able to any more. We don’t know what game that is, we don’t know if he can finish it — we could go all the way and he could play. Or tomorrow could be his last game. You really don’t know. – Doc Rivers
Pomimo bólu i ewidentnego spadku produktywności w ostatnich spotkaniach Bradley jest wciąż kluczowym graczem Celtics. Daje im ostatnio 20-27 minut podczas których koncentruje się na obronie.
It’s who he is, the guy wants to be out there. Guy wants to win, wants to do everything he can to help his ball club. What more can I say? A lot of young players might sit down, worry about their futures, their career, their contract situations. At the end of the day, Avery he has to do what’s best for him and his family, and possibly for the long run. Hopefully he doesn’t have any long-term injuries due to the fact that he’s playing. I think it’s a fine line. – Paul Pierce
Od drugiego spotkania w serii z Hawks nie był w stanie przekroczyć bariery 10 zdobytych oczek. Oddaje też zdecydowanie mniej rzutów – od 2 do 11, średnia 6.3, podczas gdy Kwietniu wynosiła 11.9.
Trener Rivers jest świadomy ograniczeń jakie uraz nakłada na Bradley’a. Mimo wszystko większość dziennikarzy spodziewa się jego występu w G5.
He’s been up and down (in the postseason). Defensively, he’s been very effective. … But offensively, he’s been on and off. (The 76ers) are absolutely making him score. They are leaving him, they are sagging the paint. They understand what’s going on with his shoulder too, and their thought is, if guy’s got a bad shoulder, he’s got to make shots, he’s got to finish in the paint. And I think that’s the one thing we see with his shoulder, he doesn’t want to drive as much. You don’t see him in the paint as much. Because that’s the two or three times that (the shoulder has) gone out, when he’s taken the hit. And you don’t blame him. But we do need to try to get him cutting again. – Doc Rivers
Szacunek panie Bradley.