Tag: isaiah thomas

Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas getting advice from Kobe

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Isaiah Thomas did it all last night in game 2 against the Wizards. When they needed him the most(4th Qtr & OT), Thomas scored 29 of his career high 53 points, and he did it on his late sister Chyna’s 23rd birthday. Why has Thomas been playing so well? We may have found the reason. According to A. Sherrod Blakely, Thomas has been doing some film study with the “Mamba.” He has been getting support from Kobe Bryant since game 2 against the Bulls.

“He was going over my film with me, and teaching me things he looks at when he watches film. That’s probably been a big help for me,” Thomas said. 

Thomas said Bryant reached out to him after the death of his sister.

If he keeps playing like this, Thomas might need talk to Bryant all the time.

Isaiah Thomas drops 53 points; Boston takes 2-0 series lead

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Isaiah Thomas is doing some amazing things in these playoffs. However, Tuesday’s performance was extra amazing. Thomas scored a career high 53 points on 18-33 from the field. He scored 29 points in 4th quarter and OT, as the Celtics beat the Wizards 129-119 in OT to take a 2-0 series lead. He did all this on his late sister Chyna’s 23rd birthday.  Meanwhile, for the Wizards, John Wall had 40 points! 

What an amazing run for Thomas and the Celtics. Boston has now won five straight games in these playoffs after losing the first two games to the Bulls. Thomas becomes the only player in Celtics’ history to score 50 points in the regular and postseason in the same season. Thomas falls one point short of the Celtics’ record for most points in a playoff game (Havlicek 54pts). It is amazing to see a little guy like Thomas put up these ridiculous numbers. It’s impossible to root against this guy, but this series is not over.

Expect the Wizards to play well in Washington!

Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas will attend his sister’s funeral after Game 6

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Isaiah Thomas is expected to travel to Tacoma, Washington after game 6 in Chicago to attend his sister Chyna’s funeral, according to the Boston Globe.  The funeral is scheduled for Saturday.  If the Bulls win on Friday night, the series would return to Boston for game seven on Sunday. The Celtics could start their second-round series on Sunday, if Boston and the Wizards win on Friday night.

Both the Celtics and Wizards lead their series 3-2.

 

Are the Celtics done?

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The Chicago Bulls went into Boston and did the unthinkable. They won both games on the road, and now go back to Chicago up 2-0. The reasons? Let’s start with former Celtic Rajon Rondo, who is doing what made him successful during his NBA career. He is getting everybody involved (10 apg); he is rebounding the basketball (8.5 rpg), and doing a little scoring (11.5 ppg). To think, Rondo was very close to being let go in January after five straight DNP-CDs. Also, Jimmy Butler has proven that he is the best player in this series. 30 points in game one (23 in the 2nd half), and 22 points in game two. I’m sure many Celtics’ fans would love to have Butler in Beantown.  Maybe the main reason  why the Bulls are up 2-0 is their work on the boards. The Bulls have killed the Celtics on the glass. After two games, the Bulls are plus 22 on the glass, including 20 offensive rebounds in game one. The main reason for that is Robin Lopez (9.0 rpg).

While Isaiah Thomas has played well in the first two games, something seems to be missing from him and the team. Thomas was visibly upset before game one after the death of his sister Chyna. Emotionally, after two games, it does not seem like the Celtics are all there. You wonder how Thomas will be mentally after visiting his grieving family in Washington  “This has been without question the hardest week of my life,” Thomas said in a statement Wednesday. Thomas traveled to Washington Wednesday morning, and will re-join the team in Chicago. Will he come back inspired, or emotionally drained?

Are the Celtics done? I won’t say that. The Bulls were 41-41 in the regular season, so it is not like they are a great team. It would not surprise me one bit if Boston went into Chicago and won games 3 and 4.  The last number one seed to be down 0-2 in the first-round were the 1993 Phoenix Suns, who were down 0-2 to the 8th seeded Lakers. However, the Suns were able to come back and win the series in five.

In order for the Celtics to make this a series, they are going to have to rebound better, defend better (Bulls avg 108 ppg in series), and Boston will need to play with a sense of urgency.

If they don’t do the above things, they might just get swept. At that point, they would most definitely go down as the worst number one seed of all-time.

I think the Celtics will get this series back to Boston, but will lose in six.

What should Isaiah Thomas do?

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On Sunday, before game one between the Bulls and Celtics, Isaiah Thomas was seen on the sideline in tears as he deals with the death of his sister Chyna; who died in a one-car accident on Saturday.

When it comes to death, each person deals with it differently. The tough part for Thomas is his family is across the country in Washington. He has his teammates, but he probably needs his family.  If you look at Thomas by the numbers, he did what he has done throughout the course of the season. He finished with 33 pts, 5 rebs, and 6 assists

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley had this to say on TNT’s Inside the NBA when he saw Thomas on the sideline in tears:

“I’m not sure what to say — I’m not feeling comfortable with him sitting on the sideline crying like that,” Barkley said on the pregame show. “That makes me uncomfortable. So that tells me he’s not in shape to play. I mean, I don’t know how this night is going to turn out, but to be sitting on the sideline a few minutes before the game, crying, that just makes me uncomfortable for him.

“That’s just not a good look for him, in my personal opinion. I mean, he is clearly devastated, like we all would be if we lost a sibling, but sitting on the sideline right before the game, that makes me uncomfortable.”

In reality, most people were probably uncomfortable watching Thomas cry on the bench. It is never comfortable to see someone in pain. The obvious questions would be: Is he ready to play? Should he be with his family?  No one can answer those questions, but Thomas. Basketball might be the best thing for him right now.  It is a two plus hour distraction. You wonder how the funeral will be handled, and whether Thomas will go back to Washington in-between games one and two (Game two on Tuesday). It would not be unreasonable if Thomas decided to shut it down for the next few games. Do I think he would do that? Probably not, but he would not be wrong.

In the end, Thomas has to do whatever works best for him.  No matter how comfortable we are with his decision.

Prayers to Isaiah Thomas and his family.

Update: According to Celtics’ coach Brad Stevens, Thomas will play in games two and three.

Chyna Thomas, the sister of Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas, dies in a one-car accident

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According to police in Washington, Chyna Thomas, the sister of Celtics’ star Isaiah Thomas, died in a single-car accident on Saturday.

The accident took place on I-5 in Washington.

According to KIRO-7,  witnesses reported that the car, a 1998 Toyota Camry, was being driven normally at first.

“All of a sudden it started to drift very casually onto the left shoulder,” State Patrol spokesman Trooper Nick King said.

Chyna Thomas was only 22-years old.

According to ESPN, Thomas is expected to on Sunday, in game one of the Bulls-Celtics first-round series.