Celtics feel Bradley’s absence, go down 0-2

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The Atlanta Hawks scored just 65 points in the final three quarters of their Game 2 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. They shot only 38 percent from the field during that span — 5 of 17 from the arc, their second successive subpar game from range.

They won by 17 points to take a 2-0 series lead.

Much will be made in the coming days of the absence of Avery Bradley, who suffered a hamstring injury in Game 1 and is at least done for the rest of this series, if not the remainder of the playoffs. It’s true, Boston isn’t exactly loaded with shooters to begin with, and Bradley provided a relatively reliable spotup threat. Throw in his notorious perimeter defense, and certainly the Celtics badly miss, and will continue to miss, his presence. But for Boston, it’s even more complicated than simply making up for the loss of Bradley’s production. His absence trickled down much deeper than that, in three very noticeable ways, in Game 2.

1. It exacerbated the absence of Kelly Olynyk

Olynyk being out with a shoulder injury injury has been lost in the shuffle, but he is one of the Celtics’ best defenders. It goes against all eye-test logic when you watch him, but Olynyk has become a tremendous positional defender, able to contest inside without fouling, rotating and just generally making savvy plays. Without Olynyk, the Celtics’ wings have to absorb more of the defensive pressure, and we all know what Bradley brings on that end of the court.

Olynyk is also key due to the monstrous advantage the Hawks enjoy in the frontcourt in this series. Al Horford had 15 points in Game 2, more than any …

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