Avery Bradley's role in cooking with Stephen Curry

The season has not been kind to the Boston Celtics.

They have not been playing up to their potential and that's partially due to getting bit hard by the injury bug. The injuries cost them depth in the back-court and put a lot of added responsibility on Avery Bradley. AB had his coming out party last year, earning the reputation of a tenacious defender. Most Celtics fans will still claim that - if Bradley were healthy - Boston would've beaten Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals.

We were all set to anoint him "The Dwayne Wade Stopper" after he blocked Wade's attempted dunk in the Garden last year. He was an irritant that Wade was happy not to see in the 2012 ECF. It also seems like Doc's belief in him is giving Bradley confidence as his offensive game is also beginning to blossom. This makes him a double-threat and ensures his defender never gets a night off when he is in the game.

His 18 point outburst against the Utah Jazz hints of his potential, he just needs to remain consistent and remember that defense comes first. That defense will be sorely needed tomorrow night when he faces Golden State's Stephen Curry.

Curry made his debut as a "real-baller" in Madison Square Garden - an arena where every NBA player wants to have their three seconds of fame. Michael Jordan, Kobe, LeBron James and now Stephen Curry have shown that the lights are not too bright for them in the "big apple."

His amazing 54 point outburst last night was so efficient it widened the talent gap between him and his father, Dell Curry (who's currently an announcer for the Charlotte Bobcats). The elder Curry was one of the greatest three-point shooters in the NBA. His son Stephen has apparently inherited the same gene and now ranks second in overall three-point shooting percentage behind Steve Kerr. Curry's at a healthy 44%, and it was on full display last night.



Steph's game involves more than shooting. He also has tremendous court vision - as evidenced by his 8 app. per game. He is also not averse to giving up his body for the good of the team. He is a dangerous all-round player and according to First Take's Skip Bayless "an overall nice guy."

Well, we want this nice guy to get out of "Mr. Roger's house of hoops" and meet the resident pit-bull that lives in the "jungle", Avery Bradley. Bradley's role of defensive stopper will have to be on full display when Curry and his crew strolls into town. He must also punish the slighter Curry on offense, if only to take advantage of his strength and to tire his legs.

Boston can't afford to lose to a team that has been on the road, especially one from the west coast. The more they force the Warriors' shooting wunderkind to exert himself and limit the touches of the other players, the better chance they have of winning the game.