A week ago after the Celtics were run off the court by the Hornets, Celtics coach Doc Rivers suggested that Avery Bradley’s small role with the team was going to be reduced even further and that rookie E’Twaun Moore might see some time. Rivers ultimately stayed with his second-year guard, but his threat wasn’t idle.

“I just think sometimes they read the paper, you never know,” Rivers said. “Competition is a very healthy thing. But he’s getting it. No doubt.”

It was a classic old-school move by a coach who was reared by the masters of that kind of motivational technique – Mike Fratello, Larry Brown, Pat Riley, etc. Rivers didn’t want to bench Bradley. He wanted him to understand his role.

Simply put, Bradley is a defensive terror, who not only possesses the physical tools to be a great defender – long arms, quickness and speed – he also has tremendous anticipation and awareness for such a young player. His job is to play fullcourt defense on the ball. It’s not to get steals, necessarily. If Bradley makes his man turn his back from the pressure and if the other team’s offense doesn’t start until about eight seconds have gone off the shot clock, then he’s been successful.

“The thing we don’t want to do is to get overextended and pick up fouls in the backcourt,” veteran guard Keyon Dooling said. “The thing that Avery did tonight was gauging that balance. He had perfect balance as far as when to attack defensively and when to get back on his heels and play solid.” 

In an otherwise dreary game against the Nets on Wednesday, Bradley’s fullcourt pressure defense injected some life into the Celtics and drained New Jersey of whatever it had, which wasn’t much. He also scored 11 points and made the first 3-pointer of his career, in an 89-70 Celtics’ victory, their fourth straight.

“He came in like a bloodhound. He had his nose over the ball, and he brought a different dimension to the game tonight," Kevin Garnett said. "I thought with Keyon starting and him coming in, just the way he picked up the ball fullcourt, he was on their guards from the jump -- from the minute he came in the game to the minute the horn went off. I thought he was a big, big, big, big component of the game, and he definitely was a factor. Definitely was a factor. So, it was good to see Avery have a game like that.”

Forget the 20 points he scored at the end of last season against the Knicks in a glorified exhibition game. This was the most complete game Bradley has played in his very young career.

Bradley honed his defensive instincts at a young age, battling his older brothers for the ball. “I’ve always been good at defense my whole life,” he said. “Just a God-given gift.”

Unlike so many young players, defense comes naturally for Bradley. He doesn’t have to be convinced or cajoled into giving his best effort on that end of the floor. In limited minutes he is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best fullcourt pressure defenders in the game.

“So many young guys embrace scoring and embrace the glitz and glamour of the game,” Dooling said. “Avery just comes in, he knows he’s very good at it, we encourage him to do it and it’s something that can really help our team because it takes teams out of their offense.”

However, every young player, no matter who they are, likes to score. Bradley has heard that his offense is what’s holding him back so many times that it’s only natural to try and prove the doubters wrong.

The problem is his offensive game is unrefined. He doesn’t have an offensive position. He’s not a good shooter yet and his only real move is to put his head down and barrel to the basket. That may earn him a few trips to the free throw line, but it’s not why he’s getting playing time.

So, about that benching threat. If anything, it helped reinforce to Bradley what his job really is on this team.

“I need to understand my role,” he acknowledged. “As a young guy, you don’t really know what your role is, especially at the beginning of the year. But now I know what my role is and I’m going to come and continue to do what I need to do for my team.”

Bradley checked into the game late in the first quarter. The Celtics were having a dreadful offensive game and a lineup of Bradley, Dooling, Marquis Daniels, Garnett and Greg Stiemsma wasn’t likely to change that, and they didn’t. But Rivers stuck with this group and while they didn’t do much on the offensive end, they didn’t allow the Nets to do anything at all and they increased a one-point lead to six.

Bradley took two quick shots when he checked in, but during a timeout, Rivers told his guard to be patient and let the game come to him. Sure enough, it did. Late in the third quarter, he knocked down a 3-pointer, the first of his career off a feed from Paul Pierce.

“I hit that 3 because I passed it to Paul and he created for me and got me a shot,” Bradley said. “One thing Paul told me is if I keep playing defense like that he’s going to keep giving me shots.”

In the fourth quarter Bradley scored six more points, handed out two assists and didn’t turn it over once in 12 minutes.

“I think with him it’s all about his confidence,” Pierce said. “I think the more he plays well, and the more he plays well, he believes in himself. He works so hard. You’ve got to understand who he is for us. He’s a guy who can really defend the ball probably as good as anybody in the NBA -- the way he picks up and slides his feet, uses his athleticism. If he can do that and then knock down open shots when he gets them, he can be a helluva player in this league.”

The Celtics have been talking up his defense since he arrived, but it’s one thing to say it and it’s another to prove it. Bradley is beginning to prove it. He’s also doing something else. “I feel like I’m gaining Doc’s trust,” he said. 

“When Avery gets that, the other part will come,” Rivers said. “When he understands that he’s a great defensive player, the offensive stuff will come. I think it’s very [hard] for young guys because they want to be an offensive player and it affects their minds. You can see him slowly getting it.”