Avery Bradley: Celtics Guard Will Miss Rest of NBA Playoffs with Injury

Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers confirmed the inevitable on Friday.

Guard Avery Bradley is done for the playoffs and will undergo shoulder surgery, leaving a thin Boston lineup even more shorthanded. 

The Celtics' official Twitter account broke hearts all over Boston with this message: 

"

Doc says Avery Bradley will have shoulder surgery today and is done for the playoffs. "It's disappointing. He's been terrific this year."

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 25, 2012"

Bradley, the 19th pick in the 2010 draft, had been injecting youth and energy into Boston's lineup during the postseason. His absence could be a crippler for the Celtics' chances at a title.

Let's take a look at what exactly this means.

Game 7

The Celtics have split the games Bradley has missed during this series, winning Game 5 at home and losing Game 6 on the road.

Fortunately for Boston fans, the Celtics will be back home and will still have that advantage against Philly.

The young guard is a menace on the defensive end, but Philly doesn't exactly have an offense that can capitalize on his absence. Jrue Holliday and Lou Williams will certainly see better looks, but I still like the Celtics in Game 7. 

Next Series

If the Celtics make it to the Eastern Conference finals, the Bradley injury is going to hurt them even more. 

During the regular season, Bradley did an amazing job guarding Dwyane Wade. He played big minutes during all three of the Celtics-Heat matchups in April and was a big factor in Boston winning all of those games. 

During one matchup, Bradley held Wade to 9-of-21 shooting, and in the other, he limited him to 6-of-17 shooting. Wade sat out the third meeting between the two teams.  

Without Bradley, Wade is going to see a lot more open looks.

Next Season

As ESPN points out, Bradley is going to miss his third consecutive summer league.

This isn't a huge deal, but don't forget that Bradley is still very raw on offense. If he wants to develop into an all-around player, he will need more time to work on his skills in the offseason.

Shoulder surgery will likely put that on hold. 

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