Isaiah still not satisfied
All-NBAer thrives on doubts
To sum up Isaiah Thomas’ importance in the Celtics’ climb back to national relevance, Brad Stevens thought back to February of 2015 and the NBA trade deadline.
“That phone call (from Danny Ainge) was great two years ago because it was 1:58 on a 2:00 deadline, and at 1:50 he told me we weren’t making any deals, and at 1:58 he said hey, what about this, this and this, and suddenly we had two trades on the table in a matter of eight minutes,” the Celtics coach said after yesterday’s film session.
“We were all excited about Isaiah because of his ability to get into the paint. What we’ve all learned about Isaiah are all of the different things he can do. So much on this level is finding the right guys with the right groups, and he fits perfectly with our guys. They need what he does well, he needs what they do well, and he’s put in a lot of work. He’s as consistent a worker as I’ve been around.”
Thomas, who has turned cynicism about his 5-foot-9 height and being the 60th pick in the 2011 draft into a motivational fire, landed another blow against the doubters yesterday when he was named to the league’s All-NBA second team. How lofty is this honor? The other second-team guard is Golden State’s Steph Curry. The two first-team guards are Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and Houston’s James Harden.
So Thomas naturally had to crack wise yesterday when asked if he felt he deserved to be on the first team.
“What do you think? You know it don’t seem right,” he said, smiling. “But I’m blessed, man, I’m appreciative. It’s been a pretty good year for my team and myself individually. That kind of stuff goes to my team and this organization.
“I always knew I could do what I’m doing right now. It says a lot, but I want to be so much better. I have so much room for improvement in so many areas. That was definitely a goal of mine, and we got it, so it’s on to bigger and better things.”
Beyond his unparalleled drive, Thomas had to find a team willing to accept his unusual combination of enormous talent and every day height.
“It’s a blessing — a blessing from God,” he said. “I thank the Celtics for giving me the opportunity to be myself, my teammates. It’s not just something for me but this team for allowing me to be who I am. They like who I am. That says a lot about this team and organization.”
But now back to the reality of his 17-point, 7-for- 19 performance during the Celtics’ Game 1 loss to Cleveland, and the need to somehow do more tonight in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Thomas later Wednesday night said that his struggles had nothing to do with what Cleveland was doing, claiming he simply had to make the open shots he missed, and he didn’t back down from that theory yesterday.
“There’s nothing to figure out. They played their traditional way,” he said of the Cavaliers. “They definitely showed a few bodies and were aggressive on me, but that’s nothing I haven’t seen this whole year. I’ve seen it all. It’s nothing like the Wizards were doing, where they showed or had three guys on me. The Bulls were on top of me trying to be very physical. Sometimes they do trap me a little bit, but it’s nothing I have to figure out. I have to be more aggressive, make plays.
“We got the shots. On offense, we just didn’t knock them down. And then we couldn’t stop anybody on that end, especially LeBron (James). Kevin Love got going in the third quarter, but on offense, we got what we wanted. We just didn’t capitalize on it.”
Thomas has no doubt he’ll find a way to capitalize tonight, just as he has no doubt the critics will once again point to his size and say he’s finally hit the ceiling.
“There’s always something. I thought it would stop, but it won’t ever stop,” he said. “Even if we make it to the finals and win a championship, some way they’re going to say something along the way. That’s just how it is.”
But the motivation, that fire, will still be there.
“I do (feed off of it),” he said. “I like it. Been that way my whole life.”