Bradley chased Orlando guard Jameer Nelson around the TD Garden floor as if the basketball Nelson dribbled was the last freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. He hounded Nelson, so much so that Nelson would whisper that Bradley didn’t need to contest him so closely or ask if this would continue the entire night.
That answer was yes.
Finally, Rivers’s hunch that Bradley would turn into an effective NBA defender, especially on the ball, was proving true. Nelson’s struggles bringing the ball up the court epitomized the Magic’s offensive malaise - they set team records for fewest points in a game (56) and a half (20) - and Bradley finally put his imprint on a victory.
It was a rewarding performance for a player who has worked feverishly to improve but hasn’t had many tangible results.
Asked whether full-court pressure was Rivers’s game plan, Bradley said, “It really wasn’t. But I told Doc, ‘I’m going to pick him up the whole game.’ And he kind of looked at me like, ‘The whole game?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, the whole game.’
“And that’s what I did. I wanted to bring everyone else’s energy up, and I think I did, playing defense like that. And Paul [Pierce] came up and told me, ‘When you play defense like that, it makes us play defense even harder.’ ’’
Bradley’s emergence is a surprise considering he contributed little last season after having ankle surgery. And he is a work in progress offensively. His jump shot is sporadic, and Rivers understands that he is not a natural point guard.
Bradley is a shooting guard without pure scoring skills, making his adjustment to the regimented NBA more difficult. Players without true positions historically are slow to make the transition. But Bradley is a shining example of methodical progress, and the Celtics are beginning to reap the benefits.
“You know what? He’s not trying to score anymore,’’ Rivers said. “He’s trying to run the team and play defense and he lets it come to him.
