Celtics Concerned With Avery Bradley's Shoulder
BOSTON (CBS) – The Boston Celtics have been playing against both their opponents, and their health this postseason.
Ray Allen has fought a bad ankle. Paul Pierce is battling an MCL sprain. But they are savvy veterans, used to toughing it out when the playoffs approach.
But for a postseason rookie, adding an injury to your first experience is asking a lot. Especially when it's an injury like Avery Bradley's shoulder popping out at any given moment.
Bradley's shoulder has popped out at least three times during the Celtics current postseason run, the most recent coming in Friday night's 92-83 loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia. Head coach Doc Rivers said the shoulder went right back in this time around, but Bradley was kept out of Sunday's practice as a precaution.
With Bradley playing a key part in the Celtics starting five, the constant uncertainty of how the shoulder will handle any little bump has Rivers concerned.
Read: Celtics-76ers Game 5 Preview
"It's a tough thing, what he's going through. A lot of players would not be playing," said Rivers. "I swear, a lot of people would not be playing and the only reason that he is is because he wants to. But I am concerned at some point that he may not be able to any more. We don't know what game that is, we don't know if he can finish it -- we could go all the way and he could play. Or tomorrow could be his last game. You really don't know."
He is getting a lot of love from his veteran teammates though.
"It just says who he is; the guy wants to be out there," said Pierce. "Guy wants to win, wants to do everything he can to help his ball club. What more can I say? A lot of young players might sit down, worry about their futures, their career, their contract situations. At the end of the day, Avery he has to do what's best for him and his family, and possibly for the long run. Hopefully he doesn't have any long-term injuries due to the fact that he's playing. I think it's a fine line between the two."
Bradley is averaging 6.7 points over roughly 25 minutes per game this postseason. He is shooting just under 37-percent from the floor, and under 23-percent from beyond the arc, both down from the regular season. Because of the shoulder, Bradley has changed his game a bit. After it pops out, he shies away from contact and opts to become more of a jump shooter.
The 76ers have taken notice.
"They understand what's going on with his shoulder too," Rivers said of the 76ers, "and their thought is, if guy's got a bad shoulder, he's got to make shots, he's got to finish in the paint."
"I think that's the one thing we see with his shoulder, he doesn't want to drive as much. You don't see him in the paint as much," said Rivers. "Because that's the two or three times that it's gone out, when he's taken the hit. And you don't blame him. But we do need to try to get him cutting again."
