Isaiah Thomas lets his play do his stumping for All-NBA team
BOSTON — Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas doesn’t even let his kids win a playful game of household hoops, so no matter how injury-riddled the New Orleans Pelicans were, Thomas had no sympathy.
As the road-weary Celtics limped through an uninspired effort on Wednesday night back at TD Garden, Thomas implored his teammates to think about playoff seeding with the regular-season finish line a week away and Boston still neck-and-neck with three teams competing for homecourt advantage in the opening round of the postseason.
Thomas scored a game-high 32 points on 10-of-19 shooting over 33 minutes in a 104-97 win over the Pelicans at TD Garden. Thomas added eight assists, four rebounds, and two steals while finishing plus-22 in plus/minus (only four turnovers diminished his stat line).
On a night the Celtics simply didn’t have energy or inspiration, Thomas touched the ball a whopping 105 times. For comparison sake, John Wall leads the NBA at 98.7 touches per game, while Thomas typically averages 85.6.
“You gotta have that killer mentality no matter who you are playing,” Thomas said. “When I’m playing 1-on-1 against my kids, I let them score a little bit, then I end up beating them at the end. That’s just the way it is. No matter who you are playing, you just gotta keep your foot on the pedal.”
Before Wednesday’s game, the Celtics distributed an infographic stumping for Thomas’ inclusion on the All-NBA discussion, a goal that Thomas himself set in the aftermath of earning his first All-Star appearance in February.
The Boston Celtics’ infographic stumping for Isaiah Thomas’ inclusion in All-NBA discussion: pic.twitter.com/XSXSTbWCJ2
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) April 7, 2016
In the 23 games since the All-Star break, Thomas is averaging 24.5 points, 5.4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal over 32.5 minutes per game. The 5-foot-9 guard has scored 20-plus points in each of his last 16 games, having already eclipsed Larry Bird’s single-season record as the team’s outright leading scorer in each of those games.
For Thomas, Wednesday was his 10th 30-plus point game of the season. Asked if that might help his All-NBA case, Thomas smiled and deadpanned, “I don’t know, we don’t got no foundation player here. I don’t know what they’re going to do.”
A local talking head suggested earlier this season that Thomas was a “very good” player but not a foundation player, the sort of player the Celtics could build their next true contender around. Thomas has used the suggestion as motivation. Asked Wednesday if he’s still got a chip on his shoulder, Thomas said, “Always,” then surveyed the area above his left shoulder and added, “It’s still there.”
The All-NBA honor would further cement his ascension this season.
What would the All-NBA honor mean to Thomas?
“It means a lot. I think as long as we win, the individual success comes,” said Thomas. “Numbers don’t lie. I don’t know. I’m continuing to try to finish this season off strong. But that’s definitely one of my goals, to make that team, and that’d be an honor.”
Thomas faces some stiff competition for what amounts to six guard spots on the All-NBA’s three teams. Consider that Curry, Westbrook, Harden, Chris Paul, and Kyle Lowry are five rather slam-dunk picks, that leaves Thomas competing with the likes of Lillard and Wall for a final spot.
The fact that Thomas is even in the conversation is a testament to his elevated play this season. Even entering the 2015-16 season, most viewed Thomas a microwave sixth man, the sort of undersized point guard who could give his team a scoring jolt against reserve units but who would struggle in the spotlight.
Instead, Thomas has emerged as one of the league’s top scoring guards. He led the entire Eastern Conference in scoring in March, keeping Boston afloat as the team has dealt with a rash of injuries that has stripped at least one rotation player each night since the All-Star break.
“I just want to be great,” Thomas said. “I’m just going to keep going, keep grinding, and keep being in attack mode. That’s what my team needs from me. And I’m going to continue to do that. My guys are just putting me in position to be successful, them and the coaching staff. My job is pretty easy.”
No, Thomas just makes it look easy.
Before Wednesday’s game, Celtics coach Brad Stevens was asked why Thomas deserved All-NBA consideration.
“As you look at the All-NBA, you’re looking for the 15 guys who most impact their teams,” Stevens said. “Hard to argue.”
