Isaiah Thomas’ ridiculous pass for Crowder 3 seals Celtics win
On Wednesday, in the midst of a nightmarish season from hell — not to put too fine a point on it — Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough admitted that, if he had a chance to do it all over again, he wouldn’t have traded away point guard Isaiah Thomas to the Boston Celtics in a controversial-at-the-time, much-discussed-since three-team deal at the 2015 trade deadline. On Thursday, Thomas showed everyone why McDonough wishes he had a mulligan.
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Just look at this pass that Thomas, only two weeks removed from the first All-Star appearance of his career, threw to hit Jae Crowder for a critical late-game triple in the final minute of Boston’s Thursday game against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks:
With Boston leading 106-102 and less than 60 seconds on the clock, Thomas squared up on Bucks point guard Michael Carter-Williams — one of the other lead guards on the move in last year’s trade-deadline derby — before hitting him with an evil hesitation and right-to-left crossover dribble, taking a hard and very quick first step to his left that put Carter-Williams on his heels, then drove with MCW on his hip right at the help defense of Milwaukee big man Greg Monroe … only to elevate, see four very long arms between him and the basket, and decide instead to flip a crosscourt pass behind his head that hit Crowder perfectly in his shooting pocket in the right corner, giving him just enough time to loft a 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of a contesting Khris Middleton. Because the basketball gods sometimes smile on absurd playmaking, Crowder’s shot splashed through, sending the TD Garden crowd into hysterics and giving Boston a 109-102 lead with 50.6 seconds remaining.
Seriously: look at this freaking pass:
Yeah, this happened: pic.twitter.com/AWSmVZTU5X
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 26, 2016
It takes incredible skill, creativity and imagination to make that play on the fly; it takes unmitigated gall to decide to make it beforehand. From ESPN.com’s Chris Forsberg:
The last thing Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas saw before he started his drive into the trees was teammate Jae Crowder buried in the right corner. Thomas figured that would be his “bailout,” the spot he’d throw the ball to if the long Milwaukee Bucks’ defense clogged his path to the basket. […]
“I had seen [Crowder] before I threw it,” Thomas said, “but when I threw it, I couldn’t see him no more, so I’m glad he stayed in that corner and made me look good.”
Added Crowder: “We locked eyes right before the defender came over and I didn’t know if he was gonna find a way to get it to me, but he saw me for sure before the defender came over. It was a hell of a pass by him.”
From CSNNE.com’s A. Sherrod Blakely:
Said head coach Brad Stevens: “That one pass was unbelievable.” […]
“That play right there describes our team,” Bradley said. “We always knew we were going to win the game. We do whatever it takes to win the game and we all want to play for each other. Isaiah could have easily threw something up, but he went in to make a play for Jae and I am just happy the way we played tonight.
Crowder’s bomb off Thomas’ feed proved to be the game-winning bucket in Boston’s 112-107 victory, in which the 5-foot-9 pick-and-roll dynamo once again led the way, scoring a game-high 27 points on 10-for-21 shooting with seven assists and two steals in 33 minutes. After Milwaukee chopped a 18-point third-quarter deficit down to just five points with 5:31 left in regulation, Thomas re-entered the game, scored seven quick points and forced the initial defensive breakdown that, two passes later, produced a Bradley 3-pointer.
Less than two minutes after his return, Boston’s lead was back up to 11; after his blind miracle dime to Crowder, the Celtics were on their way to their ninth straight home win and their 12th victory in their last 16 games, improving them to 34-25, a full game ahead of the Miami Heat for third place in the Eastern Conference.
After the game, Thomas told reporters he’d heard McDonough’s comments about wishing for a do-over … and, in a refreshing bit of honesty, he said they made him glad, according to Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com:
“Yeah, [I] did [hear McDonough’s remarks],” Thomas said. “I mean it’s cool. I’m starting to get more and more respect, I guess. It feels good to hear him finally say that. But like I always say, I’m focused here on the Celtics. I’m not focused on what happened in the past. When I saw that this morning, it was nice to see somebody say something like that.” […]
Thomas admitted that he’s a much different player than the one that played in Phoenix even two years ago.
“The game’s slowing down for me,” Thomas said. “For the most part, I’m a better decision-maker. I’m not just trying to score every time. That’s something I’ve done my whole life where scoring has been easy for me but now, it’s just trying to pick and choose my spots, knowing when to be aggressive for myself and knowing when to get other guys going. I think that’s my next step, just becoming a more complete basketball player, just being unpredictable and going out there and trying to make the right play, each and every time.”
Even, and perhaps especially, when that means whipping a no-look behind-your-head pass to a teammate you’re not totally sure is really there in the final minute of a two-possession game. It sure is cool when form and function marry to produce something this dope.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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