The Luck of the Irish unfortunately does not appear to be with the Boston Celtics this postseason.
The Celtics lost Game 1 against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday by the final of 102-101, and they also may have lost starting shooting guard Avery Bradley for an extended period. Bradley was forced to exit in the fourth quarter with what the team diagnosed as a strained right hamstring. He was promptly ruled out for the rest of the game.
#NEBHInjuryReport: Avery Bradley has been diagnosed with a strained right hamstring and will not return to tonight's game.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 17, 2016
After the defeat, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens revealed that Bradley “heard a pop” in the hamstring, per Marc D’Amico of Celtics.com.
Not good: Brad Stevens says Avery Bradley "heard a pop" when he injured his hamstring during second half. #NBAPlayoffs
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) April 17, 2016
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe adds that Bradley had to be helped by a team staffer just to get dressed after the game.
#Celtics staffer is helping Avery Bradley put his socks on. No bueno.
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) April 17, 2016
Bradley, 25, has been one of the Celtics’ most important players this season with averages of 15.2 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, and 2.1 assists per game. His contributions on the defensive end have been worthy of First Team All-Defense consideration, and he has really improved his jumper this year to the point that the Celtics often use him in the halfcourt as a spot-up shooter running around a sea of screens.
This definitely sounds like an injury that could sideline Bradley for a lengthy amount of time and possibly threaten his availability for the remainder of the playoffs. It’s not a death blow to the Celtics’ postseason hopes though with other strong on-ball defenders such as Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder ready to pick up the slack. But neither of those guys is the threat that Bradley is offensively, meaning that Boston could struggle to match Atlanta’s cohesive, two-way depth for the remainder of the series.
Image Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
H/T Rotoworld
