The Celtics have played their last game with Isaiah Thomas. Ever.
After last night’s shocking upset at Cleveland in the third game of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, the Boston Globe headline began, “Without Isaiah . . .” Sometime this summer, the headline will be “Celtics trade Thomas” and it won’t be a surprising move.
Playing a lineup that could match up better with the defending NBA champion Cavaliers, the injured 5-foot-9 Thomas was exposed as the team’s weak link on defense while watching on TV. Yes, he is an all-star and a scoring machine, but he can often give up as many points on the defensive end, and that’s been born out in this series.
A 30-point home loss with IT4, a 42-point home loss with IT4 and a thrilling three-point win on the road without him. Regardless of what happens in the rest of the series, those events have given general manager Danny Ainge a reason to make a blockbuster trade involving Thomas and the multiple draft choices he has. Sounds harsh, but pro basketball is a business and teams are in the business to win championships.
Thomas is a hero in Boston for his scoring exploits and how he led the team through the first two rounds after losing his little sister in a car accident just before the first post-season game. But Celtics’ fans will understand why the team must trade its most famous and popular player if they are to hang another banner at the Garden.
When playoff basketball begins, teams play harder and coaches coach smarter. It is all about match-ups, and teams find ways to create mismatches on both ends of the floor. Although Thomas is a whiz with the ball, he can be stopped by bigger defenders playing all out for 48 minutes. And when they run plays to isolate a shooting guard 6-8 inches taller on Thomas, there is little he can do to stop them from scoring over him.
The Celtics’ heritage is championship basketball, back to the days when they won 11 NBA titles in 13 years behind Bill Russell. They can’t settle for being just good, which is why Thomas will be traded in a headliner deal to ultimately make them better.
Photo via Getty Images
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