The Celtics returned to their winning ways this past weekend by evening the first-round series against the Bulls. However, shooting guard Avery Bradley provided minimal production in Sunday night’s win.
Yes, Gerald Green might have stolen the show on Sunday night, hitting four three-point attempts to supplant point guard Isaiah Thomas’ 33-point outing to help the Boston Celtics to a series-evening 104-95 win over the Chicago Bulls.
More from Hardwood Houdini
- Boston Celtics’ two-way contract decision will be made after training camp
- Proposed trade sends Boston Celtics playoff killer to the Cs from rival
- ‘Face of Germany’s stunning run’ in FIBA World Cup not the only ex-Boston Celtics player to win gold
- Proposed Boston Celtics trade target pitched for reunion with fired coach
- Battle For Banner 18: Will Boston Celtics battle historical foe in 2024 Finals?
While Green’s production was measurable and he has honed his reputation as a microwave-esque shooting specimen off of the bench, it is ignorant to believe that he will be able to replicate this type of performance in each postseason contest moving forward. Therefore, we must not gloss over starting shooting guard Avery Bradley’s lack of competence shooting the rock in the Celtics’ Game 4 win.
If Boston expects to travel far into the postseason and even escape this first-round series, Bradley will need to make an offensive impact. With defenses consistently keying on Thomas and expending their best efforts to force him to remain on the perimeter sans a driving lane, Bradley will receive plentiful open looks outside the three-point arc. In Game 4, Bradley received a handful of these wide open attempts, an nearly each clanged off of the rim in grimacing fashion.
The NBA All-Defensive First Team selectee hit just one of his six three-point attempts on the night en route to a 3-for-9, eight-point performance. Bradley’s shot selection on the night was exquisite. He did not force any ill-advised three-pointers and was selective in choosing the spots in which the situation called for him to take a shot. It was manner in which he missed the shots that was cringe-worthy for Celtics supporters in the audience.
Bradley’s legs looked lost throughout the night, as the majority of his five misses bounced off of the front of the rim. Each attempt was seemingly wide open, created as a result of the tremendous ball movement that fostered Boston’s brilliant offensive output throughout the game.
While it is understanding for higher-volume shooters (Bradley has averaged 7.5 three-point attempts per game in the series) to have outings in which they can’t find the bottom of the net, it is worrisome to witness open jumpers consistently fed Bradley’s way only to see them helplessly glance off of the rim.
The misses came at inopportune times in Game 4, as well. In the middle of the third quarter, as the Bulls were in the process of transforming a 10-point deficit into a two-point lead, Bradley missed an open 26-footer after garnering a steal off of Dwayne Wade with the team clinging to a 63-60 advantage. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Bulls were in the process of slicing another 10-point hole in half. After Bobby Portis hit a shot to cut the Boston lead to 79-72, Bradley stepped in to another open look only to see it carom off of the rim.
Bradley has had spells this season in which his range has dissipated. In November, a 1-for-7 shooting performance against Chicago kicked off an eight-game stretch in which he made just 14 of 47 three-point attempts. In April, an 0-of-3 showing from deep in a forgettable blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers (Bradley went 1-of-8 from the field as a whole) paved the way for a brutal 1-of-8 night from deep in the following game against the Atlanta Hawks, two games which resulted in Bradley’s three-point percentage plummeting to 26.9 percent in five regular season April appearances.
Next: Importance of Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart Pairing
With the contributions that the Celtics have received from the likes of Green, Al Horford, Kelly Olynyk, and Jae Crowder over the pair of contests at the United Center, receiving consistent shooting from Bradley might not be a necessity for Boston to stave off a first-round upset. However, defeating the Washington Wizards or the Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals will require Bradley to prevent himself from falling into the type shooting slump that plagued him in November and early April.