Avery Bradley has prided himself on defense since he entered the league nearly six years ago. Over the last 48 hours, the rest of the NBA has started to take notice.
On Thursday night, the Boston Celtics guard was tasked with stopping the Portland Trail Blazers’ dynamic duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. He did just that, helping limit both players to under 20 points and Lillard to a 3-for-14 shooting night despite Portland’s win.
After the game, Lillard made it a point to seek out Bradley and give him the ultimate compliment, telling the 25-year-old he’s the best perimeter defender in the league.
Yet Bradley would face an even tougher test Friday: the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, led by reigning MVP Stephen Curry and his sharpshooting sidekick, Klay Thompson.
It’s safe to say Bradley was up to the challenge. The sixth-year veteran led a tenacious defensive effort that forced Curry to commit a game-high nine turnovers en route to Golden State’s shocking home loss. Curry had just six points compared to seven turnovers in the first half, and aside from his 21-point outburst in the third quarter had a pretty rough night.
Given Bradley’s efforts in his last two games, then, it should come as little surprise that McCollum sent out this tweet at halftime Friday:
That now makes two notable NBA players — albeit from the same team — claiming Bradley is the NBA’s best perimeter defender. Warriors coach Steve Kerr piled on before Friday’s game, claiming Bradley is as good as any on-ball defender in the league.
Of course, all that praise amounts to something the Celtics already know: Their shooting guard is a handful to deal with on the defensive end. And after stopping the Warriors’ 54-game home winning streak dead in its tracks, they made sure to let Bradley hear it.
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Let’s hit a few other notes from a wild one in Oakland:
— The Celtics’ win could help preserve a bit of their own history. Golden State’s loss guaranteed it wouldn’t finish the season unbeaten at home, a feat no NBA team has accomplished. The 1985-86 Celtics own the NBA’s best home record in a season, going 40-1 at home during the regular season and winning all 10 of their postseason games en route to an NBA title.
The San Antonio Spurs are a perfect 38-0 at home with three home games remaining on their schedule, but their opponents in those contests are the Toronto Raptors, Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder.
— When you beat the best team in basketball in their own building, you’re going to raise some eyebrows. Count Lillard and New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman as among those who were impressed with Boston’s impressive win.
— As expected, Boston’s signature win also had its players pretty jacked up. Those on the scene reported hearing loud shouting and music blasting in the Celtics’ locker room after the game, and Evan Turner gave fans a quick glimpse of the celebratory scene:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDr_cxGzSDs/
A few other Celtics also weighed in with their thoughts on Twitter.
— The C’s managed to beat the Warriors without a key player in their linuep, but Jae Crowder doesn’t intend on missing any more games for Boston.
The Celtics opted to sit their starting swingman Friday to rest his right ankle, but before the game even started, Crowder said he’ll “definitely play” Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers, per The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach.
— With his team five wins away from securing the best season in NBA history, Warriors coach Steve Kerr obviously is a strong candidate for NBA Coach of the Year. But Kerr also gave a vote of confidence for his coaching counterpart, and that was before Brad Stevens led the Celtics to the shocking victory.
Thumbnail photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports Images
