Questioning Isaiah Thomas' Toughness Is Just Silly
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- An incredible 2016-17 season for Isaiah Thomas came to a conclusion much too early.
But in no way, shape or form did Thomas quit on his team. Anyone saying otherwise hasn't been paying much attention.
After putting the Boston Celtics on his tiny shoulders and leading them to 53 regular season wins and the Eastern Conference Finals, Thomas deserved a better final chapter to his 2016-17 campaign. The Celtics weren't going to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and advance to the NBA Finals, but Thomas should be on the floor when it ends and not somewhere else nursing a nasty hip injury that may end up leading to surgery for the 28-year-old.
Thomas is, after all, a gigantic reason the Celtics are where they are. Had it not been for his 28.9 points per game throughout the regular season, Boston certainly would not have been the one-seed in the East. They probably wouldn't have been much more than a blip on the radar, a middling team in a watered down East.
Instead, they're at the top of that second tier in the league (the non-Cavaliers/Warriors/Spurs division of the NBA), a team on the rise thanks in large part to Thomas' nightly showcase.
Those nightly performances made even the most "meh" of regular season games must-see TV. Boston's offensive leader scored 20 or more points in 43 straight contests from November to February, setting a Boston record. His 52-point extravaganza against the Heat was the third-highest output in franchise history, with his 29 fourth-quarter points setting a franchise record. He averaged 32.9 points per game in January, the fourth-highest ever for a month by a Celtics player.
It was a regular season Celtics fans won't soon forget, but it was just the regular season. The playoffs are when champions are crowned and heroes are born, and Thomas etched himself into one of those categories over the last six weeks. Since mid-April, he's authored an incredible story that reads more like the next Disney tear-jerker sports movie than the NBA.
Thomas' younger sister, Chyna, was killed in a car accident in Washington state one day before the playoffs began for the Celtics. A grieving Thomas not only played that next day as Boston tipped off their postseason against the Chicago Bulls, scoring 33 points in a Game 1 loss, but he played every game. He flew home to be with family between Games 2 and 3, and then helped guide the C's to four straight wins to get out of a 2-0 series hole and advance to the next round.
There was just one day between Boston's win over Chicago and the East Semis against the Washington Wizards, and Thomas spent the day attending and giving the eulogy at his sister's funeral. He flew back to Boston late that evening, and physical pain soon joined that emotional pain as he had his front tooth knocked out early in Game 1 against the Wizards. He soldiered through for another 33-point showing as Boston overcame some early game woes for a 123-111 victory, and after undergoing hours of oral surgery leading up to Game 2, he had another epic showing with 53 points in Boston's overtime victory. He scored 29 of those points in the fourth quarter and overtime. It was Boston's sixth straight win of the playoffs.
Having such a clutch performance after sitting in a dentist's chair all day is pretty amazing, but the game was also played on what would have been Chyna's 23rd birthday. She was planning on spending her day in Boston. Thomas said his focus was on his sister throughout that amazing postseason performance.
"The least I can do is go out there and play for her," he said.
The Celtics won their first two games against the Wizards, but needed seven games to advance to the Conference Finals. It was their Game 6 loss in Washington that Thomas re-aggravated his hip (an injury he initially suffered in March), but knowing that Game 7 is when legends are made, Thomas battled once again and scored 29 points in the deciding victory.
That battle ended after six quarters of Cavaliers domination in the Eastern Conference Finals, which saw Thomas struggle mightily from the floor. He hit just seven of his 25 attempts, and went 0-for-7 before getting shut down (for good) at halftime. Even with the pain in his hip, and with Boston down by 40, Thomas asked to go back in, according to head coach Brad Stevens. Team doctors told him no way, and the next day, his season was over. Shutting him down now may mean Thomas avoids surgery, but nothing is certain just yet.
That isn't quitting; it's just being smart.
Boston's season will be over as well soon enough, but just because he isn't around for the final games doesn't mean Thomas tapped out. For a player who relies so much on drawing contact, the hip is a rather important part of the body. He didn't quit when the going got tough against the Cavs; he just couldn't go anymore and the Celtics knew it. There was no need to risk further damaging Thomas, who figures to be a key part of Boston's future going forward, either as a building block or potential trade chip next season.
If there's one thing we've learned about Isaiah Thomas since Danny Ainge brought the pint-sized scoring machine to Boston two Februarys ago, it's that he doesn't quit. It isn't just those nightly highlights where he shows no regard for his 5-foot-9 self that have made him a fan favorite, but it's his drive every night to play tougher than everyone else on the floor. He plays every second with a chip on his shoulder, determined to prove a lifelong list of doubters wrong. On most nights, he does just that, leaving everyone wondering how he just did whatever it is he just did.
It's a shame Thomas' incredible 2016-17 season came to an end prematurely. It's an even bigger shame that some are questioning Thomas' toughness after he fought through such emotional hardship and physical pain this postseason.
But that foolishness, and missing out on the end of the Boston's run, will just add more fuel to Thomas' fire next season.
