Robb: Isaiah Thomas Denies Family Trash Talk Accusation From Dennis Schroder
BOSTON (CBS) -- Isaiah Thomas forcefully denied accusations made by Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder that the Celtics point guard insulted Schroder's mother during Friday's game.
The allegation by Schroder stole some of the headlines from Thomas, who scored 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter during a thrilling a 103-101 victory in Atlanta.
"I'm playing basketball," Schroder said after the game. "If he thinks that he got to curse at my mom or say some dumb stuff about my family, that has nothing to do with basketball. That's his choice. I've got too much class for that. Next one, we are going to get it."
During Sunday's practice, the 5-foot-9 All-Star made a point of responding to the claim and ripping Schroder for the insinuation that he would engage in that kind of trash talk.
"I don't talk about nobody's moms. I don't cuss at nobody's moms," Thomas told reporters in Waltham. "And I don't talk about people's families. So whatever he said, that's a 100 percent lie. And he knows that. Because I always say keep it hoop. When it comes to basketball I talk about basketball. And I'm going to trash talk, and I'm going to compete.
"I'm going to do whatever I can to make my team win a game. But I don't bring parents in it. I don't bring family. I don't even know his mom to curse at her like he said I did, or whatever he's lying about. From this point on, I don't even want to talk about Dennis Schroder because he's not even on the level that I'm trying to be on. And I'm not even focused on him anymore."
Schroder and Thomas have a history of bad blood, dating back to last year's postseason series. The Celtics guard made contact with Schroder's head as he ran down the floor in Game 3 of the series. Thomas was fined, but not suspended for the incident.
The latest comments by Thomas should only add fuel to the fire to the pair of remaining matchups between the Eastern Conference rivals. While the 27-year-old guard likes to banter with opponents on the court, he was passionate about defending himself from what he considered an accusation that damaged his reputation.
"It's disrespectful to my character because I don't ever go there," Thomas added. "And my mom called me that night too mad and saying, 'Why would you?' And she knows I don't go there. Like I said, when it comes to basketball it's strictly basketball. It's not about anybody's family or anybody's parents because I wouldn't want them to do that to mine."