That is not merely a figure of speech, in this case. With Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo struggling to keep up with the Sixers' speedy cadre of guards on Wednesday, the Celtics' fate in the Eastern Conference semifinals may very well depend on just how seriously injured Bradley's ailing shoulders are.
Bradley missed his second straight game in this series in Game 6, which the Celtics lost 82-75 to force a Game 7 on Saturday in Boston. It was little coincidence the Sixers scored 42 points in the paint and dished out 22 assists without Bradley on the floor to harass Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner or Lou Williams at various intervals. The Celtics defended well overall, but on several key possessions Sixers coach Doug Collins simply put the ball in the hands of Turner or whoever else Ray Allen was guarding and had him attack the veteran guard, who was playing with bone spurs in his right ankle.
"Their penetrations, their isolations without Avery on the floor, they clearly went to a lot of isos," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "They were picking who they wanted. That's what I would do. You can't blame them for doing it."
The Celtics could be in trouble if Bradley is done for the season, as a report on Wednesday stated is most likely the case. The Celtics would not confirm the report, and Rivers said at Wednesday's shootaround that Bradley was day-to-day.
The Celtics have not dwelled on how a healthy Bradley might have changed the series to this point, or for that matter how a healthy Allen might have altered this series with his shooting. Rivers said after Game 6 that he had not given much thought to what impact Bradley might have had on the last two games.
"It's what we have," Rivers said. "Listen, Avery's a great defender, but he's not out there, so we can't worry about it. I really can't."
At the moment, Rivers and the Celtics have plenty of other things to worry about.
Have a question for Ben Watanabe? Send it to him via Twitter at @BenjeeBallgame or send it here.
Photo via Twitter/Bleacher Report
