The Bradley Affect

After returning from a lackluster west coast trip to close out 2012, the Boston Celtics looked sluggish, uninspired, and just plain uninterested coming into the new year. There defense was lazy, offense was stagnant and they had none of the edge they've come to be loved/hated for. With the return of Avery Bradley to the active roster, my Celtics have once again found their edge.

In the six games since his return, they have yet to allow 100 points, allowing less than 86 points a game in 2013. In these six games, they have won 5 and have played 5 projected playoff teams including a huge win at Madison Square Garden against the high-octane Knicks.

Bradley's return has returned the rotation to full strength for the first time all season, meaning the second unit gains another weapon in Jason Terry.

This in return gives the bench a ball handler who can take pressure off of Courtney Lee who can now focus on what he does best which is shoot and defend. It gives Jeff Green somebody else who can create his own shot and space the floor allowing him to be more aggressive and assertive on offense. Pair that with a increasingly dominant Jared Sullinger, who is looking more and more confident with every minute he plays and you have what looks to be a very deep, skilled bench unit.

Bradley's presence has also paid great dividends to the starting unit. His ability to defend ball handlers has allowed Rondo the opportunity to guard the oppositions secondary perimeter player- a break he has not been able to take all year. This allows him to focus more energy on running the offense and the break, increasing the pace of the game- an are where he excels. Bradley's defensive intensity takes pressure off of Garnett since be keeps his man from getting to the middle so well which translates to better interior rotations between KG, Bass, and even Pierce.

Offensively, Bradley has greatly improved his ability to knock down shots- which has greatly improved spacing while he is on the floor when compared to last year. This has translated to more open shots for all the other starters- Rondo, Pierce, Bass, and Garnett. As an added bonus, his ability to create turnovers on defense has lead to more possessions especially in transition for an offense that shoots a very high percentage from the field without him.

Looking forward the celtics have a relatively easy second half of the season, with a west coast trip coming at the end of February. With a roster improving and getting deeper and healthier, look for Boston to surge in the second half of the year (like last season) and make a deep playoff run (like last season). Lets just all hope David Stern hasn't decided the champion before the games are played (like last season). Just kidding (sorta).


-JPD