Dubbed "Mr Intensity", the 27-year-old is a bad loser in the best possible way and was still coming to terms with the Nuggets' 86-73 loss to the Auckland Pirates on Wednesday night.
He is fiercely competitive and was furious at himself for the way he played in the second half of that match.
The lead changed seven times and the Nuggets were right in the game until midway through the final period when they fell too far behind to mount a challenge.
Bradshaw, for his part, filled out the statistics sheet with 16 points and 15 rebounds. But most of his points came in the first half.
"There were some really good signs in the first half but I had a terrible second half," he said.
"I couldn't make a shot. It wasn't that they played really good defence; it was just that I took some really bad shots."
Bradshaw had planned to miss the season to rest his tired body, particularly his ankle, which required corrective surgery last year. He hobbled through the pre-season and is probably still a week or two away from full fitness.
"My trainer did some fabulous work to get me to a position where I could play 35 minutes, even if the last 15 minutes weren't so good. But I'm getting stronger each week."
Bradshaw got into foul trouble in the second quarter and sat out the last five minutes of the period.
When he returned to the court he had lost his touch and was not getting the shots to drop, particularly from the three-point line.
The arc has retreated from the hoop this season to meet new global regulations. Both teams struggled with the extended dimensions.
Basically, you have to throw the ball an extra 50cm to score a three-pointer. The Nuggets landed four of their 25 attempts, while the Pirates did not fare much better with three from 16.
In Bradshaw and American Lance Allred, the Nuggets have two quality big men and can expect to score their share of points in the paint. But the franchise will need to address its shooting percentage.
"We got stops against Auckland but we just couldn't score.
That is going to be the challenge this year. We have to put the ball in the basket when it counts."
If the first-up loss was not enough to put some fire in the belly, then Sharks coach Richard Dickel's comments in the Southland Times earlier this week have certainly added to the rivalry.
The former Nuggets guard said Otago teams tended to look down on Southland teams and expected to win. He also suggested Otago would miss last year's import, Tyler Amaya, who was a " bona fide scorer", and he would be rubbing his hands together if the Nuggets attempted to take the Sharks on up front.
The comments have certainly caught Bradshaw's attention.
"It's good motivation and I think it is good for the sport and for basketball down this way to have such a rivalry," Bradshaw said.
"But if he [Dickel] wants to say all that then his team has to back it up. They have a lot of talent such as [Brendon] Polyblank and [Mark] Dickel but are they going to gel together?
Mark Dickel just arrived a week ago.
"They are tough and experienced players and Brendon showed his class when we played them in the pre-season. But, for us, it is a matter of not bowing down to anyone and believing in ourselves. If you start thinking they are better than you then you have already lost."
Nuggets v Sharks
Edgar Centre, tonight, 7pm
Otago Nuggets: Sam To'omata, Lance Allred, Craig Bradshaw, Mark Morrison, Scott O'Gallagher, Riki Buckrell, James Ross, Tom Rowe, Sam King, Matt Trueman, Tom Allan, Hayden Miller.
Southland Sharks: Jordan Lawley, Sylvester Spicer, Mark Dickel, Brendon Polyblank, Martin Iti, Gareth Dawson, James Paringatai, Ian Cathcart, Sam Dobbs, Paratene McLeod, Dan Peck, Izaac Williams.
