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In terms of injuries, the Celtics are now happy if someone can play at 75 percent capacity.
That essentially describes the plight of Avery Bradley, whose painful left shoulder popped out of its socket for the third time in two weeks during the Celtics’ 82-81 Game 2 loss to Philadelphia last night.
The Celtics guard left the game midway through the second quarter, had the shoulder re-set, and returned to play all but 12 seconds of the fourth quarter, in which he made two shots, including a big 3-pointer with 2:22 left.
“I thought he played fine,” said coach Doc Rivers. “He turned the ball over once and I thought that was a shoulder issue. If you see him trying to, he just had nothing on the ball. But, listen, I didn’t think we’d have him. At halftime they said we wouldn’t, and then when I walked out (trainer) Eddie (Lacerte) said, ‘Hey, I think he’s going to try to give it a go.’ I mean, this is the third time now in two weeks his shoulder’s come out. That can’t be a good feeling, number one. It has to hurt like heck.
“The good news is, though, it did what it did in the past where it went right back in and he got his feeling. That’s what happens when your shoulder goes out. You lose the feeling in your hand. You can’t go back in until it comes back. Tonight it did.”
— Reported by Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald
