BOSTON — 9 years after Isaiah Thomas scored a career-high 52 factors to etch his title into Celtics historical past, the now-36-year-old returned to the place he as soon as referred to as house and watched as Boston channeled its inside I.T. to get again within the win column in opposition to the Warmth on Friday night time.
Thomas shared courtside seats along with his spouse, Kayla, and Celtics majority proprietor Invoice Chisholm, basking within the hometown admiration. Earlier than the beginning of the second quarter, the crew performed a tribute video celebrating Thomas’ 52-point efficiency in opposition to Miami in 2016, after which he raised his hand to the group of over 19,000 as a gesture of mutual respect and gratitude.
By the fourth quarter, Thomas returned to TD Backyard’s jumbotron as an outdated pump-up clip of him performed, re-energizing the group. And similar to the “King of the Fourth” himself had achieved a number of instances in Boston, the Celtics rallied decisively to keep away from a 3rd consecutive defeat.
“I believed it was a terrific gesture to have I.T. again,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla stated following Boston’s 129-116 win over Miami. “He’s achieved a lot for town and for the group. I got here proper on the tail finish of him being right here, however who he was as an individual and a participant says lots about him. He units an instance of sure, it’s about profitable, however whenever you’re a high-character man, individuals recognize you, and also you’re capable of go away a spot higher than you discovered it.”
Thomas spent three seasons with the Celtics, giving the 5-foot-9 fan favourite simply sufficient time to go away an enduring mark on the group. Almost a decade after he set a franchise report by scoring 29 factors in a single fourth quarter — probably the most by any Celtics participant — followers nonetheless revere him. On Friday night time, it was the present crew’s flip to honor the person who poured all the pieces into uplifting the Celtics via the post-Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen period by paying homage on the court docket.
Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, and Derrick White delivered simply that, spearheading a 3-point barrage that prolonged Boston’s lead over Miami. The Celtics hit 10 of 15 photographs from past the arc within the last quarter — after changing solely 11 of 28 within the first three — successfully burying the Warmth in a 37-point body. That complete set a brand new franchise report for many threes in a fourth quarter. Boston shot 61.9% from the sector, dedicated simply two turnovers, and left no room for any last-minute dramatics.
“I believed we put strings of fine defensive possessions that allowed us to get out and get these,” Mazzulla stated. “That’s the place the connectivity of that lineup must be there. We’ve to have the ability to have a one-shot protection, and now we have to have the ability to get out and run.”
Thomas, sitting simply toes away from the rally’s unfolding, stood and applauded the crew all through.
“I.T. a legend,” Brown stated throughout his walk-off interview. “I’m nonetheless mad he popcorned my automotive.”
Brown referenced his rookie season in 2016-17, when Thomas pranked the then-newcomer by filling his automotive with popcorn. The hazing happened after a win over the Timberwolves, as Brown returned to seek out his car overflowing with the movie-theater snack, rendering it fully undrivable.
The Warmth fought to remain aggressive regardless of lacking three starters — Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, and Davion Mitchell. They poured in 31 factors within the third quarter, narrowing the hole to a manageable 92-89, simply earlier than Thomas’ return to the videoboard ignited the TD Backyard crowd and energized the Celtics.
“As soon as they hit these 4 threes and we had the three turnovers, it was virtually as if our minds went numb,” Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra stated. “Then we had loads of errors that led to open threes. They had been working completely different guys into the pick-and-roll… The problem was once we had been making errors, it created confusion, and so they obtained open threes that broke the sport open from there.”
Inside the first 55 seconds, Hauser drained back-to-back 3-pointers — one off a well timed Hugo González steal — pushing the result in seven factors and forcing Spoelstra to name an early timeout.
“They’ve that form of firepower,” Spoelstra admitted. “Once they’re lacking threes within the first half, you recognize at any level it could possibly flip for them — and it did on the proper second.”
Boston returned to the model of basketball that reworked the Celtics from an Jap Convention afterthought into this season’s most shocking crew. They made Miami battle for each possession, minimized errors by staying disciplined and centered, and stored their 3-point ball sizzling and prepared, simply in time to take a web page from Thomas’ guide of fourth-quarter basketball.
To Mazzulla, the celebration of Thomas was a reminder of what units the Celtics — and Boston — aside from each different crew and metropolis within the league, one thing anybody who’s frolicked with the group may attest to.
“I at all times flip to Sam Cassell and I’m like, ‘man, this place remains to be packed,’” Mazzulla stated. “Folks simply recognize actually good basketball, and that’s what makes the job so particular right here.”
