next »

[bfrombleacher]

Can't say it's not because of him...

But also can't say it's all because of him.

[Cman]

If it's about him being the only reason, I'd say no. He's a part of it, though. Sullinger and Lee's improving performance, also, Green's better shooting has helped.
Now, we are waiting for Jet's contribution and the team should be all right moving forward.

Thank God it's not just because of him. We are already unable to handle the time when KG comes off. If Lee wasn't as good as he has been in this stretch, we wouldn't be winning game after game right now.

^^This

AB is part of the team's improvement but he's not the sole reason for it.

^^And This.

Much credit to Avery.  His return has clearly helped this team start to play up to their potential. 

Obviously, he's not the sole reason for our improved play, though.  It's truly been a team effort over these last six games.

^^Aaaaaaannnnd This.

And on to the next topic.

[CelticG1]

I think part of the reason people didn't think he would be a savior is cause they thought he was too limited on offense and thought the 3 point shooting was a fluke.

He already seems to be a reliable corner 3 shooter and being one of the best cutters.in the league is going to really open things up on offense.

I don't think he needs to proove anything more from the corner 3. Between last year and already this year he's proved enough. He's running to that corner 3 on fast breaks for a reason

[wdleehi]

I think part of the reason people didn't think he would be a savior is cause they thought he was too limited on offense and thought the 3 point shooting was a fluke.

He already seems to be a reliable corner 3 shooter and being one of the best cutters.in the league is going to really open things up on offense.

I don't think he needs to proove anything more from the corner 3. Between last year and already this year he's proved enough. He's running to that corner 3 on fast breaks for a reason

I think a lot of people just wanted to see more and had concerns putting so much hope on a player with a limited run of success coming off an injury.





I don't think anyone is upset over how he is playing and how the team is playing right now. 

[thirstyboots18]

I have said before, Avery Bradley's defense is of utmost importance to the Celtics. 

However, I don't think his actual "play" was the reason for the turnaround.  The simple fact is that Bradley being available pushed the rest of the team back to their natural positions and rotations, corrected the timing and spacing and allowed them to contribute within a comfort level.  Rondo can go back to his role...distributing and directing play without having to be the defensive stopper on every play.  CLee/Bradley form a dynamic defensive duo, sharing that load, and the effect ripples through the team.  Sully's confidence has improved, too, and the offensive rebounding is refreshing now that everyone doesn't have to rush back on defense.

[Rondo2287]

I think part of the reason people didn't think he would be a savior is cause they thought he was too limited on offense and thought the 3 point shooting was a fluke.

He already seems to be a reliable corner 3 shooter and being one of the best cutters.in the league is going to really open things up on offense.

I don't think he needs to proove anything more from the corner 3. Between last year and already this year he's proved enough. He's running to that corner 3 on fast breaks for a reason

I think a lot of people just wanted to see more and had concerns putting so much hope on a player with a limited run of success coming off an injury.





I don't think anyone is upset over how he is playing and how the team is playing right now.

I believe I owe you an apology for bashing a backcourt of Rondo/Bradley because they couldnt shoot.  Rondo has been pretty solid shooting this year and I have been very impressed by Bradley on the offensive end so far this year.

Bradley defense is also a game changer but we knew that already.

[dtrader]

Bradley has made a big difference, and is playing better than I expected, but to say the streak is all on him misses a lot. We would've beaten Phoenix and Charlotte playing badly and without Bradley. With or without Bradley, I doubt we would've beaten Houston, new York, or Atlanta without big games from Paul pierce.  Add the development of sullinger, green finally putting together a good string of games, and lee finally waking up, and you have the streak.  AB played a part, but I wouldn't say it was any more than a piece of the whole.

[eja117]

Bradley has single handed turned the team around again. Say it ain't so even though this is the second time he did it. Pierce, KG and certainly Rondo didn't do it. Forget about the rest. Posters including myself have expoused it was our only hope. This team needed a stick of dynamite. How long can he keep this up with his present conditioning. Who knows. He is a diamond in the rough.

I totally agree.  How many times do we have to see this? And I guarantee if Bradley goes down for the season tomorrow the team will be horrid again. Notice Rondo specifically said "We're gonna turn things around when Bradley gets back".  He didn't say "We're gonna turn things around as soon as we can" or "We're gonna turn things around near the all-star break".   It was specifically when Bradley got back.  He may not be the best player but he's second most important after KG.  I think you could put almost any competent players around those two and you'd have a good playoff team.

I tell you one other thing Bradley did. He exposed Ray Allen and single handedly ended the legend of Ray. Ray met Avery and immediately went from first ballot HOFer to third ballot. Went from one of the best ever to one of the guys who was very good.  And he better hope Miami wins another ring this year because if they don't he goes from a reason you win rings to a reason you lose them.

[celticinorlando]

He has helped quite a bit..like the way the compass is pointing for the Cs...still wanting to see them keep this up....some players are still not with it quite yet (Terry, Lee) and need to come around

[RyNye]

I tell you one other thing Bradley did. He exposed Ray Allen and single handedly ended the legend of Ray. Ray met Avery and immediately went from first ballot HOFer to third ballot. Went from one of the best ever to one of the guys who was very good.  And he better hope Miami wins another ring this year because if they don't he goes from a reason you win rings to a reason you lose them.

I think this is a pretty absurd claim. It just sounds like you are being childishly bitter over Ray leaving. Nothing about Avery Bradley has tarnished Ray's career, or his status as a first ballot Hall of Famer. And Ray was far from being the reason we didn't win rings; even when Bradley replaced him as a starter, he was one of our 5 best players. His defensive woes were overstated (his defensive efficiency metrics were all above average for a shooting guard, actually), and his offense was (and remains) brilliant.

There are a lot of reasons why Ray lost his starting job here and left the team. And I can understand that you don't root for him anymore. But to actually straight-faced claim that this somehow damages his legacy is beyond hyperbolic. Ray Allen will still be remembered as an all time great.

[SHAQATTACK]

Sure , Bradley exposed Ray ALlen as old crippled has been.

Homers were closing their eyes . But Bradley was killing it , when Ray Allen looked like grandfather time.

Allen has no business starting,  his body can't take the abuse for 30-40 minutes and play real defense. .  He is a bench player now . a role player, sharp shooter.

WIsh they would have traded him to Memphis...but he fits right in with the thugs in south beach.

Glade Allen is gone (el-jerko) . PERIOD.

GLADE to have a young nice player with a nice attitude.

[mctyson]

Bradley has single handed turned the team around again. Say it ain't so even though this is the second time he did it. Pierce, KG and certainly Rondo didn't do it. Forget about the rest. Posters including myself have expoused it was our only hope. This team needed a stick of dynamite. How long can he keep this up with his present conditioning. Who knows. He is a diamond in the rough.

I was amused at how many people on this board and how many pundits dismissed Bradley's return to the team.

Did everyone forget how incredible this team was playing when AB was starting last year?  Did everyone forget the historic defensive #'s the team was putting up? 

Did everyone forget that Ray Allen - the Hall Of Fame legendary shooter Jesus Shuttlesworth who won us a championship - was BENCHED in favor of the "he has no offensive ability" Avery Bradley, resulting in Ray throwing a fit and leaving to our most hated EC rival this summer?

Really, it was comical how quickly AB's play was tossed out as just a small sample size that really was driven by KG's return to the Center spot (and then these same people came out this year and said that the team's early struggle was due to the lack of a true Center...well what is it?  Did KG at the 5 make the difference last year or not?  He is still on the team, ya know?)

It is even more comical how people TO THIS DAY still say that AB has a limited offensive game, when everything he has done so far in the NBA has indicated that he is a very good shooter with 40%+ 3-pt range ability, on top of being a sick athlete that can cut on a dime.

But I will simply look at the team's record...The Boston Celtics are 26-9 in the 35 regular season games Avery has started over the past 2 years.  That is a 74% winning percentage.

Enough said.

[kozlodoev]

It is even more comical how people TO THIS DAY still say that AB has a limited offensive game, when everything he has done so far in the NBA has indicated that he is a very good shooter with 40%+ 3-pt range ability, on top of being a sick athlete that can cut on a dime.

Of course he's got limited offensive game -- he scores mostly on corner threes and cuts to the basket. That's limited. How is that relevant for anything?

[Chris]

I was amused at how many people on this board and how many pundits dismissed Bradley's return to the team.

First, let me just defend myself as one of those people.  He was a guy with a very short track record of success, and even then still had holes in his game, who was coming off two surgeries, and who wasn't really able to workout much over the offseason.  I think it was very reasonable to suspect that at the very least, it would take him time to get back up to speed.

Now, with that said I WAS WRONG!  Seriously, it can't be understated how incredible this start has been from Bradley.  Even established stars don't come back from that type of injury like they didn't miss a beat, and yet he did it.  So impressive.

[kozlodoev]

I was amused at how many people on this board and how many pundits dismissed Bradley's return to the team.

First, let me just defend myself as one of those people.  He was a guy with a very short track record of success, and even then still had holes in his game, who was coming off two surgeries, and who wasn't really able to workout much over the offseason.  I think it was very reasonable to suspect that at the very least, it would take him time to get back up to speed.

Now, with that said I WAS WRONG!  Seriously, it can't be understated how incredible this start has been from Bradley.  Even established stars don't come back from that type of injury like they didn't miss a beat, and yet he did it.  So impressive.

I am quite impressed with Bradley's ability to step back and be (mostly) himself right away -- and I concur it was anything but a given.