Usually, when a player scores a large amount of points in the first half of a game (in Avery Bradley’s case, 25), I am unable to control my body’s natural responses to the event and I lose the ability to control my hype. My BHL (blood hype level) spikes and I will behave erratically, then crash when the scoring output is not sustained in the second half.
That didn’t happen in this game. The vast gulf in scores between the teams must have tempered my reaction, or maybe I just really really really super hate the Celtics a lot for no reason except to spite Boston fans, because I only achieved a normal level of excitement for Bradley’s outstanding offensive showing. I did not enter the hype zone. My BHL was only slightly elevated. Somewhere in my mind I knew that Bradley would not get a chance to go for fifty because he would not appear in the fourth quarter.
The lesson for Bradley is this: if you want me to get hyped for you, you have to score 25 in a QUARTER, so that you have a reasonable chance to get fifty in the game. The positive of this goal is that if it works and you do score 25 in a quarter, you’re almost guaranteed to win the game.