Celtics' Isaiah Thomas: 'NBA knows we're going to be pretty good'
Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas says he thinks the schedule makers got it right by scheduling Boston for 22 national-television appearances during the 2016-17 season.
“The NBA knows we’re going to be pretty good,” Thomas told reporters Saturday morning at his youth basketball camp in Reading, Massachusetts. “Teams know. Everywhere I go, everybody’s excited about the Boston Celtics and we’re just going to try to take steps forward and continue to work. And I know Brad [Stevens] and the coaching staff are doing everything they can to put us in position to be successful. So we’ve got to bring it come October.”
Added Thomas: “The NBA’s excited. Boston’s almost back. We go to 22 national TV games (after playing seven last season). That means something. That says a lot, especially when you’re on national TV and the NBA puts you on there. We’re excited about it. I’m excited about the opportunity to put a smile on more people’s faces around the world.”
Thomas said he “always dreamed of a game on Christmas” and is particularly amped about Boston’s holiday matinee with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. He’s more excited about the overall potential of this year’s team.
“We got a big addition in Al Horford. Got my guy Gerald Green coming back to Boston,” Thomas said. “I’m excited. I think we’ve got the right pieces to go forward. Danny Ainge and those [front office] guys, they might have a little bit more work to do but, at the same time, the group that we have, I’m excited about the opportunity to get together and get things going. I’m anxious to get a new season going because it should be a lot of excitement around here in Boston.”
Thomas says he thinks the Celtics added necessary talent to a motivated, young core.
“A guy like Gerald Green, he can guard multiple positions, he can shoot the ball, and he’s a high-flyer. We need something like that. Then Al Horford is self-explanatory,” Thomas said. “We know what [Horford is] going to bring. He’s very versatile. Guys [have] been working. Guys got a chip on their shoulder. We feel like we didn’t go as far as we wanted to last season, so guys are going to be ready. A lot of guys are working hard and ready for this opportunity this season.”
