AVERY BRADLEY was the one who sparked our winning streak

[bfrombleacher]

“I told Doc I’m going to pick him up the whole game,” Bradley said following the Celtics 87-56 win. “He kind of looked at me like, ‘The whole game?’ And I looked back like, ‘Yeah, the whole game.’ So that’s what I did.” (from CSNNE http://www.csnne.com/blog/celtics-talk/post/Bradleys-full-court-defense-sets-tone-fo?blockID=637004&feedID=10424)

It was the full court pressure on the ball handler that really did it so far. He started it in the Orlando beatdown and now E'Twaun Moore is doing it.

I think it works because obviously it burns their shot clock down. Instead of having our resident seniors KG and PP playing 20 seconds of defense, they're now playing 18, even 16 seconds a pop.

Forcing opponents to be unable to go into their sets also allows our bigs to set up good position. Outside of Bass we're not the most athletic team and he's only 6'8. We were getting boards thanks to the full court pressure.

Obviously this is not the only factor (The other main one, in my opinion, being us going way deeper into the bench, which allows us to rest our starters. Hopefully Doc doesn't go back when our main guys come back.) but it's one that'll most probably go by the wayside. So I thought I should give him some credit.

Who would have thought. We were all (and some of us still are) giving him hell and now, all of the sudden, he of all people became the spark we needed. If Rondo would buy into the full court pest defense, it could very well be our team's niche.

[diconzo]

“I told Doc I’m going to pick him up the whole game,” Bradley said following the Celtics 87-56 win. “He kind of looked at me like, ‘The whole game?’ And I looked back like, ‘Yeah, the whole game.’ So that’s what I did.” (from CSNNE http://www.csnne.com/blog/celtics-talk/post/Bradleys-full-court-defense-sets-tone-fo?blockID=637004&feedID=10424)

It was the full court pressure on the ball handler that really did it so far. He started it in the Orlando beatdown and now E'Twaun Moore is doing it.

I think it works because obviously it burns their shot clock down. Instead of having our resident seniors KG and PP playing 20 seconds of defense, they're now playing 18, even 16 seconds a pop.

Forcing opponents to be unable to go into their sets also allows our bigs to set up good position. Outside of Bass we're not the most athletic team and he's only 6'8. We were getting boards thanks to the full court pressure.

Obviously this is not the only factor (The other main one, in my opinion, being us going way deeper into the bench, which allows us to rest our starters. Hopefully Doc doesn't go back when our main guys come back.) but it's one that'll most probably go by the wayside. So I thought I should give him some credit.

Who would have thought. We were all (and some of us still are) giving him hell and now, all of the sudden, he of all people became the spark we needed. If Rondo would buy into the full court pest defense, it could very well be our team's niche.

We just need to make sure we don't "Tony Allen" him (he gets away and THEN we realize how crucial he was)

[Marcus13]

lol ; good one bro.

[chambers]

“I told Doc I’m going to pick him up the whole game,” Bradley said following the Celtics 87-56 win. “He kind of looked at me like, ‘The whole game?’ And I looked back like, ‘Yeah, the whole game.’ So that’s what I did.” (from CSNNE http://www.csnne.com/blog/celtics-talk/post/Bradleys-full-court-defense-sets-tone-fo?blockID=637004&feedID=10424)

It was the full court pressure on the ball handler that really did it so far. He started it in the Orlando beatdown and now E'Twaun Moore is doing it.

I think it works because obviously it burns their shot clock down. Instead of having our resident seniors KG and PP playing 20 seconds of defense, they're now playing 18, even 16 seconds a pop.

Forcing opponents to be unable to go into their sets also allows our bigs to set up good position. Outside of Bass we're not the most athletic team and he's only 6'8. We were getting boards thanks to the full court pressure.

Obviously this is not the only factor (The other main one, in my opinion, being us going way deeper into the bench, which allows us to rest our starters. Hopefully Doc doesn't go back when our main guys come back.) but it's one that'll most probably go by the wayside. So I thought I should give him some credit.

Who would have thought. We were all (and some of us still are) giving him hell and now, all of the sudden, he of all people became the spark we needed. If Rondo would buy into the full court pest defense, it could very well be our team's niche.

Given Rondo's minutes I can't see him applying pressure like this.
It would probably be too exhausting. Maybe in some very serious playoff games when he has extra gas in the tank after a big rest. Playing defense like that game after game is just too much extra wear and tear on his legs. It will severely affect his ability to get to the hole in the second half.
Bradley is great because he really does set a standard for the other guys on our team.
They see a second year kid who's been picking splinters on the bench for two years come out with that toughness and will to do the job on defense, and they can see exactly how much it influences the other teams ability to execute.
We have a second year guard inspiring 10-14 year veterans to play their hardest on defense and it's paying dividends.

[nickagneta]

You know what this stretch may have done though? It may have proven to Doc that Pitrus, Bradley and Moore can be relied upon to produce for this team when Rondo and Ray are on the bench. Doc will just need to make sure that Pierce comes of the floor early and gets to play with the second team of Bass, Wilcox, Bradley/Moore and Pietrus while Pierce is running the offense. Do that and Doc should have an 11-12 deep team of players to not only be relied upon but also be very productive without taxing any player too much.

[dtrader]

I really wouldn't put this streak at all on Bradley.

1.- Moore didn't start playing D like he has been because of Bradley.  Moore has been playing great d since coming, and is only now being recognized for it, because his play on offense has made his entire game more visible.

2.- Brandon Bass has had at least as much of an impact as Bradley in our wins (more of an impact in maybe all but one).

3.- Paul Pierce has darn near been the best player in the league this week. If anything has sparked our turnaround, I'd say it's the turnaround that pierce has made himself.

Really Bradley had one stellar game where he was allowed to get away with more hand checking than normal. Outside of that 1 performance he's been only slightly better than average this week.

[nickagneta]

Outside of that 1 performance he's been only slightly better than average this week.

To be fair, Bradley's end to end defense on the PG position since the Washington game has been outstanding and his disruption of the opponent's ability to get into their offensive sets and produce has been better than just about any PG I have seen since Payton, over these last four games.

On the flip side, his offense has not been even average.

But I do think his defensive energy and intensity has been contagious and sparked anew that defensive set of mind in Pierce and KG that we haven't seen since 2007-08.

I don't think it an accident that the opponent's FG% during those game went from 48% to 25% to 35% to 38% while Bradley has been harrassing the PG's for 33 MPG at the point.

[Celticjay]

If rondo could learn from this we could be the best defensive team in the league.  If Rondo could just stay in front of his man and ease back on leaning in trying to steal the ball all game.  It totally disrupts teams when the point guard doesn't get in the paint.

With Bradley, the point guards are just getting rid of the ball once they pass half court.  They don't want to deal with him and just give up to someone else. 

His energy and Paul pierces vision has been the reason for the winning streak..

It's clear that Paul needs the ball in his hands more. He's capable of so much and when Rondo is in Paul doesn't get to touch it nearly enough.  I think it is clear that Paul needs to be the Point forward with the second unit..  I would start paul but take him out early so he is back in with the second unit..

Team is looking good..

[Yoki_IsTheName]

I think he really did set the tone for the next four games after he uttered those words and backed it up.

The kid is just relentless and I agree with the OP. He disrupts the offense of opponents in a way that he gives him a couple maybe more seconds less to operate, killing their rythym.

Man I was hard on this kid, saying he was a bad choice. Boy am I eating those words, and enjoying it.

I hope he does not lose focus and continue on. ANd hope the locker room will buy into his energy and and use this as a spark plug to put more intensity on the defensive end.

[chambers]

I really wouldn't put this streak at all on Bradley.

1.- Moore didn't start playing D like he has been because of Bradley.  Moore has been playing great d since coming, and is only now being recognized for it, because his play on offense has made his entire game more visible.

2.- Brandon Bass has had at least as much of an impact as Bradley in our wins (more of an impact in maybe all but one).

3.- Paul Pierce has darn near been the best player in the league this week. If anything has sparked our turnaround, I'd say it's the turnaround that pierce has made himself.

Really Bradley had one stellar game where he was allowed to get away with more hand checking than normal. Outside of that 1 performance he's been only slightly better than average this week.

I disagree.
Moore's defense has been average at best. His slow feet mean he  gets beaten by quicker guards all the time. The last two games have been better- he has good hands and can disrupt cutting players quite well.
His offense and ball control are great though, he needs to stay  aggressive and hopefully his terrible shooting will pick up.

Pierce speaks for himself.
Bass is just doing what Bass does.

I truly believe that Bradley has inspired our team to improve their defense and this is what has turned us around.
We are playing simple.
If anything outside of Bradley has helped us, it's been Pietrus' toughness and hard nosed play. He isn't afraid of anyone on the court and isn't afraid to take the last shot.
He's been about as good a replacement for Jeff Green that we could hope for.
I've said this before, but when our teams veterans see a young guy like Bradley come out in his second year and play defense like that on starting point guards, it sets a tone for every game. Opposing teams are getting less than 15 seconds to make the first pass in every play they run, and it's leading to forced errors, rushed shots, and players questioning where they should be on offense because it disrupts the timing of their system.
This defense is turning into fast breaks and wide open transition threes and easy open lanes for Pierce with our 3 point shooters on the wings.

Defense is what's winning us these games, and Bradley has sparked that defensive tenacity that we were missing in the first 15 games. Something needed to light a fire in their bellys and I think a combination of media/trade talks of moving Pierce or KG being washed up/cooked combined with the efforts of our young bench guys has set something off in the locker room.

It's only gonna get better as Wilcox and Dooling come back because they too are hungry to win after playing on such terrible teams their whole careers.
Winning is contagious, defensive energy is contagious and so is discipline.
For me though the number one factor has been Bradley's defense and the tone it's set while Rondo's been out; if a second year bench warmer can play with all his heart, why cant the 5,8,14 year veterans?

[Kuberski1]

Rondo barely shot 40% his rookie year, and he played a lot.  Billups had a number of rough offensive years before his full game came around.  This gives me hope that Bradley can right his offensive in time...I think he actually has a good looking shot, when (the operative word) he's not forcing it, which is far too rare.  I wouldn't say the same of TA....I never liked the look of his outside shot.  Will be very interesting to watch Bradley this year if he continues to get time....

[hwangjini_1]

yep, the kid is great on defense with a history of good offense, though we havent seen it yet.

but what will he have to do be improve on offense? i watched him on offense the last few games, and it was problematic beyond just shooting poorly.

the good - i like how he runs the ball up the court and gets it across the time line in a hurry. that makes the other team work early on defense and gets the celtics moving.

the not so good - but once across the time line his whole attitude changes. he becomes timid.

suddenly he looks around to dump the ball to someone as soon as possible. and he also stands way way outside the 3 point line, which really takes him out of the offense and draws other celtics out so they can get his passes.

when he does keep the ball a few seconds, he tends to stand there pounding it into the court, just stands and dribbles without creating anything.

his passing is adequate in that he gets the ball to key players. but the passes rarely give them the ball in a great location, close to the basket. KG, pierce, et al get the ball then often have to create something themselves.

this may be because he lacks confidence or not. it may be doc telling him "pass the ball to pierce NOW." i dont know.

but he needs to be more aggressive on offense.  i would like to see him drive to the basket, even it he misses or loses control sometimes. being aggressive like that would make the defense play him closer, and help other celtics be open for his passes close to the basket.

that sort of passing doesnt take a lot of brain power so he can handle that. penetration and passing could be his forte on offense.

[clover]

I really wouldn't put this streak at all on Bradley.

1.- Moore didn't start playing D like he has been because of Bradley.  Moore has been playing great d since coming, and is only now being recognized for it, because his play on offense has made his entire game more visible.

2.- Brandon Bass has had at least as much of an impact as Bradley in our wins (more of an impact in maybe all but one).

3.- Paul Pierce has darn near been the best player in the league this week. If anything has sparked our turnaround, I'd say it's the turnaround that pierce has made himself.

Really Bradley had one stellar game where he was allowed to get away with more hand checking than normal. Outside of that 1 performance he's been only slightly better than average this week.

I disagree.
Moore's defense has been average at best. His slow feet mean he  gets beaten by quicker guards all the time. The last two games have been better- he has good hands and can disrupt cutting players quite well.
His offense and ball control are great though, he needs to stay  aggressive and hopefully his terrible shooting will pick up.

Pierce speaks for himself.
Bass is just doing what Bass does.

I truly believe that Bradley has inspired our team to improve their defense and this is what has turned us around.
We are playing simple.
If anything outside of Bradley has helped us, it's been Pietrus' toughness and hard nosed play. He isn't afraid of anyone on the court and isn't afraid to take the last shot.
He's been about as good a replacement for Jeff Green that we could hope for.
I've said this before, but when our teams veterans see a young guy like Bradley come out in his second year and play defense like that on starting point guards, it sets a tone for every game. Opposing teams are getting less than 15 seconds to make the first pass in every play they run, and it's leading to forced errors, rushed shots, and players questioning where they should be on offense because it disrupts the timing of their system.
This defense is turning into fast breaks and wide open transition threes and easy open lanes for Pierce with our 3 point shooters on the wings.

Defense is what's winning us these games, and Bradley has sparked that defensive tenacity that we were missing in the first 15 games. Something needed to light a fire in their bellys and I think a combination of media/trade talks of moving Pierce or KG being washed up/cooked combined with the efforts of our young bench guys has set something off in the locker room.

It's only gonna get better as Wilcox and Dooling come back because they too are hungry to win after playing on such terrible teams their whole careers.
Winning is contagious, defensive energy is contagious and so is discipline.
For me though the number one factor has been Bradley's defense and the tone it's set while Rondo's been out; if a second year bench warmer can play with all his heart, why cant the 5,8,14 year veterans?

Scal was waxing eloquent about Moore's defense after having played with him in Italy, which predated Moore's play with Bradley.

[Celtics4ever]

WRONG

Paul Pierce rounding into form was the key.  KG performing better at C than PF.   Bradley did well the first ORL game this week.   But the rest of the games he did not do that well.  In fact, Moore was the PG of the big runs and the guy who played the majority of the fourth which speaks volumes about Doc's trust in Avery.   Also, the game tightened back up when Bradley came in the fourth.

I noticed that he is horrible fighting through screens.   The Pacers noted this as well and used it.  Are you his brother.  I bet you supported Telfair over Rondo too.

[hardlyyardley]

I was not a Bradley fan either, BUT....seeing the ball pressure defense he's been applying reminds me of another guard from way back who played tenacious D and couldn't shoot a lick...#25 hangs from the rafters