Watch It! – Bulls at Celtics

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Here are five things to watch out for when the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls meet at 8 p.m. tonight at TD Garden.

It was revealed Tuesday afternoon that Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley missed practice due to right shoulder soreness. Brad Stevens stated that Bradley has been experiencing pain in the shoulder, which was surgically repaired in 2012, since the start of training camp and that he was scheduled to meet with the team doctor later Tuesday afternoon.

No update has been released since Stevens spoke after practice. There are two scenarios we may learn of when the coach speaks one hour and 45 minutes before tonight’s tip-off.

First, the examination of Bradley’s shoulder may not have revealed any injury, which would leave Bradley available for tonight’s game. Second, the examination may have revealed an injury that would prevent him from playing in tonight’s game and potentially more contests moving forward.

Boston surely hopes that the first scenario is the one that ultimately becomes reality. Bradley, an All-Defensive First Team player who leads the league in average 3-pointers made per game this season, is a critical component to their play at both ends of the court.

Whether Bradley is available or not, we do know that the Celtics will receive a boost tonight with the return of Marcus Smart. Smart missed the first three games of the season with a sprained left ankle.

Smart will be an important addition to the lineup, particularly tonight. He is a versatile perimeter defender who can be used to slow down any and all of Chicago’s Big Three, which consists of Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler. Those three players combined for 48 points, 19 rebounds and 17 assists when these teams met Thursday night in Chicago.

There is no doubt that Smart will look to contain Chicago’s top perimeter players tonight. That will be goal No. 1, and if he accomplishes that, any offense he provides will be icing on the cake.

One of the reasons why Rondo, Wade and Butler were so successful Thursday night was their 3-point shooting.

Wait – what?

Yeah, you read that correctly. Rondo, Wade and Butler, none of whom are regarded as quality 3-point shooters, were outstanding from long range during that game. The trio combined to hit nine of their 14 attempts from behind the arc.

Stevens indicated after that game and again Tuesday afternoon that the Celtics do not need to change the way they defended those three players. Instead, they need to execute the game plan at a higher level to prevent another big night by Chicago’s three stars.

There were two memorable moments during these teams’ first meeting of the season last week. First, credit must be given where credit is due: Wade had ice in his veins while he drained a game-changing, step-back 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining. Second, Jae Crowder and Butler were involved a brief altercation with 1:43 remaining in the first half.

Crowder and Butler were college teammates at Marquette and have since become important two-way cornerstones for their respective organizations. However, they didn’t seem to be too friendly during this instance.

The altercation began when Butler stepped in to draw a charge on Crowder and fell to the floor. Crowder attempted to keep his balance, but video replay shows that Butler seemingly intentionally wrapped his legs around Crowder to bring Boston’s swingman to the floor with him. Crowder then pushed the ball to Butler’s chest as Crowder attempted to stand up, and teammates on both sides then surrounded the two former teammates as they exchanged words. Crowder, Butler, Isaiah Thomas and Rajon Rondo were all assessed technical fouls on the play.

Crowder has not discussed the play in depth since it occurred, saying after the game, “I don’t know” what happened. Anyone who was watching saw what happened, and it would be a surprise if these two, along with Thomas and Rondo, acted like friends when the two teams face off tonight.

It’s only Nov. 2, but the Celtics are already staring down quite possibly their most challenging back-to-back of their entire season.

Five NBA teams enter Wednesday with undefeated records. Boston will take on two of them in a span of about 27 hours, beginning with tonight's clash with Chicago. But that doesn’t even tell the whole story of their challenge.

Tonight’s game against the 3-0 Bulls will be played on national television, and, as a result, will not tip off until after 8 p.m. It will be a late night at the Garden as the Celtics attempt to slow down three of the most talented perimeter players in the league.

Following that late tip-off, the C’s will have a very late night as they fly to Cleveland for Thursday’s matchup with the Cavs. Cleveland has the best record at the league at 4-0 and is the defending NBA champion.

All told, Boston will face two great opponents in just more than a day’s time with a very late night of travel squeezed between. What a daunting task.