The Boston Celtics may have the best chance of any team in the Eastern Conference to knock off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs, and Isaiah Thomas is the biggest reason for that. The star point guard knows it, too.
Thomas scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Celtics to a 103-99 win over the Cavs Wednesday night. When a reporter asked him about Cleveland holding him “in check” for a good portion of the game, Thomas seemed offended.
Gotta respect Isaiah Thomas's cockiness "Nobody held me in check, I make plays I average 30 points for a reason" pic.twitter.com/60FPcFXYP8
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) March 2, 2017
“Nobody holds me in check,” he interrupted. “I made plays. I average 30 points for a reason.
Thomas is known for coming up big in the fourth quarter, as he averages 10.3 points per game in the final frame alone. But on Wednesday, he began the fourth by missing his first three shots and committing a turnover. Fortunately, Thomas’ teammates rose to the occasion.
“They doubled me, I passed it to Jae (Crowder) and he hit a shot, I passed it to Avery (Bradley),” Thomas said. “I believe in my teammates. My job every day no matter what the defense throws at me is to make plays and score the ball. I try to do that to the best of my ability.”
Thomas, who made headlines this year for sending Celtics fans into a frenzy with some tweets, is a legitimate MVP candidate. His 29.6 points per game are second in the NBA behind only Russell Westbrook. Thomas could become a major problem for LeBron James and company in the postseason, especially if Kevin Love isn’t healthy.
