Avery Bradley Continues to Battle Through Shoulder Injury


With the Celtics/Sixers series all even at 2 games apiece, Avery Bradley knows that Boston desperately needs him on the floor, so he keeps going out there despite an injured left shoulder. From WEEI: “Avery Bradley‘s shoulder popped out of place early in the second half of Game 4, but at some point between the time he walked off the court in agony and the time he reached the end of the bench, trainer Eddie Lacerte was able to pop it back into place. ‘It’s just tough. It really is. I swear a lot of people would not be playing, and the only reason he is is because he wants to,’ Doc Rivers said. ‘I am concerned at some point that he may not be able to anymore. We don’t know what game that is, we don’t know what day he can finish it. We can keep going all the way and he can play [or] tomorrow could be his last game.’ The 21-year-old Bradley has impressed his teammates with his toughness, but they also know that there’s a line and he’s right on the verge of crossing it. ‘A lot of young players would probably sit down, worry about their future, their career,’ Paul Pierce said. ‘At the end of the day, Avery 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 there, too.’ There’s the issue for the Celtics. They are 18 points better with Bradley on the court than when he’s off — the second-best mark behind Kevin Garnett‘s absurd plus-56. When Bradley picked up his fourth foul early in the second half of Game 4, they were ahead by 18 points. When he returned, they were down by one.”