Avery Bradley's hamstring injury doesn't look good, but he said he hopes to play in Game 2



Avery Bradley left the Celtics' 102-101 Game 1 loss to the Hawks midway through the fourth quarter with a strained right hamstring (video above).  The early indications are that this isn't something Bradley will immediately recover from:


In the locker room after the game, Bradley needed help getting dressed and used a cane to walk and stand up with.  However, his postgame comments suggested he hopes not to miss any time.  Here's the complete transcript of what Bradley had to say (televised on CSNNE) regarding his injury:

"I don't really want to talk about it that much. I just want to try to get treatment and take it day-by-day and hopefully I can be back for the next game. I'll get treatment tonight--I'll get treatment all night. My main focus is just trying to get back for the next game."

"I tried to go up and block [Jeff] Teague, when I came down I felt weird. I took a few steps and I just couldn't walk. Like I said, my main focus is just trying to get treatment so I can get back as soon as possible."

[In response to question about having trouble moving around]

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Once I get some treatment, I know Ed [Lacerte] and those guys will do a great job trying to get me back as soon as possible."

[What's your level of worry?]

"I'm not worried at all. I have faith. I know teammates, people are praying for me, hoping that I can get back as soon as possible. I'm taking it day-by-day I don't really know [if he could be done for the series]. Could be, but I'm hoping it's not. I'm pretty sure I'm just focusing on it being day-by-day. I'll get one [an MRI] tomorrow."

Bradley's teammates didn't sound as optimistic:


We'll know more about the extent of Bradley's injury after his MRI Sunday.  But if I had to guess, I wouldn't bet on him returning in this series.



Follow Mark Vandeusen on Twitter @LucidSportsFan
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