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Yesterday's Game Was All About Isaiah Thomas

Gerald Green walked off the court with 16 first half points as the Celtics took a controlling 57-48 first half lead. Boston lead by as many as 20 points by utilizing their small ball lineup to take control of the game and the series. Replacing Amir Johnson with Gerald Green has done wonders for Gang Green. While the Celtics may be fortunate to have Rajon Rondo out for the series with a thumb fracture and a recently reported wrist injury, the Celtics have taken advantage and played great basketball. Well, most of the time.


In game 3 Boston lead by 20 points in the first half once again. But before heading to the locker room the Bulls had cut the lead to 9. A nice cushion, but game 3 seemed to have the same script when a 20 point lead was trimmed down to just 3 points.


As the third quarter began, the Bulls gained control of the game and the momentum. The Boston Celtics and their leader, Isaiah Thomas, began to unravel. Chicago went on a 12-0 run by acquiring old habits that had helped them get a 2-0 series lead. Robin Lopez started snatching offensive rebounds and the Bulls played with more energy. The game completely changed when an offensive foul was called on Isaiah Thomas when he had a 3 on 1 fast break. Thomas was forced to leave the game with 4 fouls and things were starting to look ugly for Boston. They started settling for 3 pointers that they aren't capable of doing consistently (27% for the game) and Jimmy Butler took advantage to take a 65-63 lead.


As important as the lineup change was to the success of the Boston Celtics, this game was about Isaiah Thomas. Tommy Heinson recently compared Isaiah to John Havlicek due to his ability to take over a game whenever he wanted to. While most of the time IT looks to play unselfish basketball, this was a no-nonsense situation. Brad Stevens put Isaiah back in the game late in the 3rd quarter despite having 4 fouls and the rest was history. While the Bulls had a nice run of their own early in the 3rd quarter, Thomas sparked a run nearly all by himself by going on a 12-0 run of their own and Thomas scoring 10 of them.


While the other Isaiah, Isaiah Canaan, was getting some rest, it was up to 6’6" point guard and former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter Williams (MCW) to guard 5’9" Isaiah Thomas. A huge mismatch for MCW, of course.


The exclamation point in this game and perhaps in this series was when Isaiah turned to MCW and (basically) said, "You can’t guard me". This of course led to a technical foul on Isaiah and displeased MCW, so much so that the two got into nose-to-nose confrontation.


The fighting between the two players is not the big picture message here. The point is, Isaiah was right. Now that Rondo is out, who can guard him? Nobody. Canaan limited the damage but he can’t stop him for a full 48 minutes. Isaiah is starting to look like his old self and that’s a scary thing, not just for the Chicago Bulls, but for the rest of the Eastern Conference.


Although he won’t ever get over the death of his 22 year old sister after he released the statement, "I never imagined a day where my little sister, Chyna, wouldn’t be here." But perhaps his sorrow has dwindled. Perhaps the game of basketball has been a cure through this grieving process. And perhaps Isaiah Thomas and the Boston Celtics are back for good.

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