Home
Register
Log inBradley Beal the Real Deal for Washington
Page 1 of 1
Bradley Beal the Real Deal for Washington
by bobheckler Sat Nov 07, 2015 2:36 pm
http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/shoot-visitor-110615-Bradley-Beal-the-Real-Deal-for-Washington
Bradley Beal the Real Deal for Washington
Beal Takes after Paul Pierce with Leadership and Poise
Posted: Nov 06, 2015
By Taylor C. Snow | @Celtics
Celtics.com
November 6, 2015
BOSTON – The Washington Wizards counted on Paul Pierce in high-pressure situations last season, much like the Boston Celtics did for 15 years.
With Pierce’s departure to the Los Angeles Clippers over the summer, the team needed a new player to count on during clutch situations as they entered this season.
It appears they’ve found their man, as 22-year-old Bradley Beal has suddenly thrust himself into the conversation regarding the top shooting guards in the league.
Beal will grace Pierce’s former TD Garden stomping grounds tonight, and will challenge the Celtics to cool him off after a stringing together a few All-Star caliber performances to open the season.
His consistency has been remarkable through four games, scoring between 24 and 26 points during each contest. He has displayed confidence and leadership well beyond his years, both traits that may have rubbed off from Pierce’s short stint in D.C.
Following Washington’s shootaround at TD Garden Wednesday morning, Beal explained how important The Truth’s leadership was last season, and said he taught the team, “Just how to win.”
He added, “[Pierce] has won a championship before, so just in terms of how vocal he was, and his work ethic. He’s a future Hall-of-Famer, but he was always the first one in the gym and the last one to leave, and that displayed in his game.”
His effort and work ethic certainly displayed in the playoffs last season. Pierce averaged 14.6 points per game during the postseason for Washington and went an extraordinary 33-of-63 from 3-point range in just 10 games.
He hit Washington’s biggest shot of the season – and maybe in franchise history – during the Game 3 of the second round against Atlanta: A game-winning fallaway 18-footer, which banked in as his rear end hit the floor.
Pierce brought a significant level of cockiness and swagger to the Wizards, and always felt he was the best player on the floor representing the best team.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Now with Pierce gone, Beal and his teammates have adopted that mentality.
“That’s just my mindset going into each and every game, and as a team that’s how we feel,” said Beal. “We feel like we’re a better team against whoever we match up against, and we’re going to play that way. So that’s definitely something that we’ve admired about [Pierce] and his approach to the game.”
That overall confidence has been evident through Washington’s first four games, as it sits 3-1 and is coming off a nail-biting 102-99 win over the Spurs.
Beal was guarded by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard during that game Wednesday night, and dropped 25 points on the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He capped the night off with a game-winning 3-pointer, which swished through the net with 0.3 seconds left on the clock.
The combination of Beal and All-Star point guard John Wall create what many believe to be the most feared backcourt tandem in the East, and they expect to carry this team far into the postseason.
“We know what our goals are,” said Beal. “We know what’s expected of us and we’re a targeted team. We’re not a low-tier team; we’re an elite team and people are going to come after us, so we have the mindset that we’re a playoff team.
“But at the same time, we set goals that we want to get far in the playoffs. We don’t want to just get back to the second round like we did the last two years, and I think we have a great opportunity to [go further]. We came in at training camp ready to go. I think our focus is probably the best that [it has] been since I’ve been here, and it’s only getting better.”
Breaking that focus will be a difficult challenge for the Celtics tonight. The work ethic and confidence of Pierce has rubbed off on this Wizards team, and we all know how great of an impact that can have.
bob
MY NOTE: If Beal dropped 25 on Kawhi Leonard, perhaps I was a bit harsh on Bradley. Maybe Beal has finally just "arrived".
.
Bradley Beal the Real Deal for Washington
Beal Takes after Paul Pierce with Leadership and Poise
Posted: Nov 06, 2015
By Taylor C. Snow | @Celtics
Celtics.com
November 6, 2015
BOSTON – The Washington Wizards counted on Paul Pierce in high-pressure situations last season, much like the Boston Celtics did for 15 years.
With Pierce’s departure to the Los Angeles Clippers over the summer, the team needed a new player to count on during clutch situations as they entered this season.
It appears they’ve found their man, as 22-year-old Bradley Beal has suddenly thrust himself into the conversation regarding the top shooting guards in the league.
Beal will grace Pierce’s former TD Garden stomping grounds tonight, and will challenge the Celtics to cool him off after a stringing together a few All-Star caliber performances to open the season.
His consistency has been remarkable through four games, scoring between 24 and 26 points during each contest. He has displayed confidence and leadership well beyond his years, both traits that may have rubbed off from Pierce’s short stint in D.C.
Following Washington’s shootaround at TD Garden Wednesday morning, Beal explained how important The Truth’s leadership was last season, and said he taught the team, “Just how to win.”
He added, “[Pierce] has won a championship before, so just in terms of how vocal he was, and his work ethic. He’s a future Hall-of-Famer, but he was always the first one in the gym and the last one to leave, and that displayed in his game.”
His effort and work ethic certainly displayed in the playoffs last season. Pierce averaged 14.6 points per game during the postseason for Washington and went an extraordinary 33-of-63 from 3-point range in just 10 games.
He hit Washington’s biggest shot of the season – and maybe in franchise history – during the Game 3 of the second round against Atlanta: A game-winning fallaway 18-footer, which banked in as his rear end hit the floor.
Pierce brought a significant level of cockiness and swagger to the Wizards, and always felt he was the best player on the floor representing the best team.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Now with Pierce gone, Beal and his teammates have adopted that mentality.
“That’s just my mindset going into each and every game, and as a team that’s how we feel,” said Beal. “We feel like we’re a better team against whoever we match up against, and we’re going to play that way. So that’s definitely something that we’ve admired about [Pierce] and his approach to the game.”
That overall confidence has been evident through Washington’s first four games, as it sits 3-1 and is coming off a nail-biting 102-99 win over the Spurs.
Beal was guarded by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard during that game Wednesday night, and dropped 25 points on the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He capped the night off with a game-winning 3-pointer, which swished through the net with 0.3 seconds left on the clock.
The combination of Beal and All-Star point guard John Wall create what many believe to be the most feared backcourt tandem in the East, and they expect to carry this team far into the postseason.
“We know what our goals are,” said Beal. “We know what’s expected of us and we’re a targeted team. We’re not a low-tier team; we’re an elite team and people are going to come after us, so we have the mindset that we’re a playoff team.
“But at the same time, we set goals that we want to get far in the playoffs. We don’t want to just get back to the second round like we did the last two years, and I think we have a great opportunity to [go further]. We came in at training camp ready to go. I think our focus is probably the best that [it has] been since I’ve been here, and it’s only getting better.”
Breaking that focus will be a difficult challenge for the Celtics tonight. The work ethic and confidence of Pierce has rubbed off on this Wizards team, and we all know how great of an impact that can have.
bob
MY NOTE: If Beal dropped 25 on Kawhi Leonard, perhaps I was a bit harsh on Bradley. Maybe Beal has finally just "arrived".
.
bobheckler- Posts : 61563
Join date : 2009-10-28
Similar topics» Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal will not play when NBA resumes due to shoulder injury
» Bradley Beal would welcome Celtics trade, may request Wizards deal him to new team before NBA Draft (Report))
» Former Celtics center Guerschon Yabusele inks deal with Real Madrid
» Why the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas deal wasn't 'ever in real danger'
» Evan Turner explains why he's 'hard to guard, for real, for real'
» Bradley Beal would welcome Celtics trade, may request Wizards deal him to new team before NBA Draft (Report))
» Former Celtics center Guerschon Yabusele inks deal with Real Madrid
» Why the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas deal wasn't 'ever in real danger'
» Evan Turner explains why he's 'hard to guard, for real, for real'
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum|
|
|