You ever see the new Isaiah Thomas play? Yes, but not like this.

In 2011, Carolina defeated Washington in a second-round game of the NCAA Tournament on the way to a Regional loss to Kentucky. The Tar Heels sneaked by the Huskies in Charlotte, 86-83. You may not remember that Washington had a little left-handed guard supposedly the second coming of the original Isiah Thomas.

Thomas scored only 12 points that game and missed 10 of his 15 shots from the field. Six years later, after getting picked late in the second round of the NBA draft and bouncing around with two other teams, the unstoppable 5-9 force they now call IT4 is the talk of the NBA for more than his spectacular effort with the Boston Celtics.

Now mentioned in the same breath with LeBron James and Stephen Curry, Thomas is not only playing his heart out, he’s playing with a broken heart. His younger sister was killed in a car crash two days before the playoffs began, and around trips to Washington to be with his family Thomas has lit up the league.

After rallying his team with four straight wins against the Chicago Bulls in the first round, Thomas has now led the Celtics to a pair of stirring victories over the Washington Wizards and Raleigh’s John Wall. In the first game, an opposing elbow knocked out a front tooth on his way to 33 points. In the second game, he broke his all-time NBA scoring record with 53 points in the overtime victory.

You have to see how IT4 plays the game below the rim. He is an unstoppable driver through the paint, a near-deadly outside shooter and hits 91 percent from the foul line. He has been sensational since finding his niche in Boston, but now he says he is playing for his sister Chyna. She would have been 23 on Tuesday, but he scored 53 for her in what may be the game of his life. Tragically and triumphantly, Thomas has become the story of the NBA playoffs.

Even if you have never watched a pro basketball game, turn on the TV Thursday night at 8 o’clock to see for yourself. I for Isaiah, T for Thomas, and 4 for the number on his uniform. The truly amazing IT4. You won’t believe your eyes.