Why Avery Bradley’s Performance Vs. Cavaliers Should Excite Celtics Fans

BOSTON — First things first: The Cleveland Cavaliers still are the prohibitive favorites in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

The Boston Celtics’ thrilling win Wednesday night notwithstanding, the C’s still have some work to do to catch the Cavs, who own a three-game lead over Boston in the East despite the absences of Kevin Love and J.R. Smith.

But the Celtics might be closer to Cleveland than some think. Why? Two words: Avery Bradley.

The C’s shooting guard had a relatively quiet night offensively in his second game back from an Achilles injury, scoring 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Bradley’s hallmark is his defense, though, and he reminded Wednesday’s national TV audience why he’s one of the league’s best.

With time winding down in the fourth quarter and Boston leading by two, Bradley locked down Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving in an isolation, forcing one of the league’s best playmakers into a missed fadeaway jumper.

That sequence capped an impressive defensive night for Bradley, who was a catalyst in the Celtics holding the Cavs under 100 points for just the second time in Cleveland’s last 12 games.

“He’s a great defender,” Irving said of Bradley after Boston’s 103-99 win. “He’s going to get up and make sure I’m pressured to force me to take a tough shot at the end. He’s a great defensive player. He makes a staple on that.”

Indeed, Bradley’s return adds another dimension to the Celtics’ strong defense. Playoff games are won by star players making big plays, but an elite defender like Bradley has the ability to force those stars out of their comfort zones.

“I think it’s a necessity,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said when asked about the impact of having Bradley back to cover a player like Irving. “Irving is a tremendous scorer. He made shots against everybody (Wednesday night). He’s a hard guy to stop.

“But I think that having a guy like Avery out there — you know, good offense usually beats good defense, but Avery certainly makes it as tough as humanly possible when he’s guarding somebody.”

Stevens isn’t alone in recognizing Bradley’s defensive impact.

“(Bradley) helps them out a lot,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said after the game, “because you have two guys in him and (Marcus) Smart who can get into the ball and be physical guarding the basketball. They’re also good 1-on-1 players defensive-wise.”

The Celtics needed Bradley’s lockdown defense, Isaiah Thomas’ heroics and a missed Deron Williams 3-pointer to defeat a Cavs club missing two of its starters. Anyone who watched them get blown out by the Atlanta Hawks on Monday knows they’ll face an uphill battle in the postseason.

But Wednesday offered a glimpse of what the Celtics are capable of when fully healthy, and Boston fans should be excited by what they saw with Bradley back in the fold.

Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images