In today's game, the Celtics lost to the Bulls by one point because of Jimmy Butler's last-minute free throw.
The team's leader, Isaiah Thomas, expressed great dissatisfaction with the referee's last-minute decision: "It was a very bad penalty, and that penalty directly made us lose the game. Even the Bulls couldn't believe it (the referee blew a foul). We were supposed to win the game, Marcus defended very well, but the referee made a bad penalty. ”
Despite losing the game, Thomas, who had 29 points and seven rebounds, set a record — he scored more than 20 points in 41 consecutive games, the previous record holder was John Hafricheck (40 games), and Thomas Jr. averaged 29.9 points per game before the All-Star Game, which also set a new Celtics record.
The revived Celtics have been looking forward to using a group of young talents on the team to pack up for a superstar, but they have to realize that in fact, the crowd is looking for him thousands of times, but the strongest person is already in the lineup.
Self-reliance
One morning, a slightly diminutive child was shooting a basketball in a dimly lit outdoor basketball court somewhere, his arm just right to lift the basketball and throw the ball into the basket with willpower. He did it repeatedly, with some shots flying behind the rebounds, some hitting the front of the basket, and others slowly sliding off the net. Here, he has his signature moves, becomes familiar with ball, practices shooting, and begins to fantasize about how he will one day become a star.
This is the everyday life that belongs to Isaiah Thomas Jr.
Once upon a time, basketball was usually a game for big men. These unusual tall kids are often asked if they play basketball. People never ask short children this question. They are supposed to be engaged in some other sport. Short kids should go play baseball, maybe football? But basketball has always been a giant sport.
Thomas Jr.? He was too short to even play varsity games, but later, he scored 51 points in a state semifinals in a high school game and averaged 40 points per game in the tournament.
Because of his height, Thomas needed more creativity, and he learned by studying competitions. When he was a kid, he would run home from church and sneak into Grandpa's room to watch the game air on NBC on Sunday afternoon.
As he grew older, he began to analyze the movements of the masters—he learned about leg drift from Tony Parker, and he learned about one-legged change of direction from Steve Nash. Thomas applied them to his own races – quick stops, disguised moves, feints. One of his favorite moves is to lean over the big man with his body on the basket and skip under them.
"I just try to get out of the defense," Thomas said, "I know it might be cliché, but now when I'm on the court, I'll adjust and calm down, 'Come on block the big guy, I'll rush into his arms and let him lose his balance, but if it doesn't work, I'll throw a throw.'" Of course I know I can't always rush up and bump into big guys, so sometimes I'll (give fake moves) to make them scratch their heads, shake them up and I'll shoot along the way. ”
Time back to when Thomas was still in the fourth grade of elementary school, when he joined his first organized basketball team in Tacoma City, and since then he has been honing his motor skills until now.
The best part of his basketball moves is essentially the same as when he was a kid. With this skill pack, he played all the way from high school to the University of Washington, where he wowed the Pacific Big Ten (pac-10) with his skilful and fluid movements.
Others said he couldn't play in the NCAA's first division because of his short stature, but he joined the University of Washington. Despite playing only three seasons, Thomas finished eighth on the University of Washington's all-time scoring list.
"If you look at the footage of my sixth-grade highlights — you have them on youtube — you'll find the same moves," Thomas said, "and everyone who saw me at that time laughed and complimented me on how well I was doing, including [University of Washington] coach (Lozoren) Romahr, who called me and said, 'Dude, you're probably the most advanced of these action users.'" And that works. ”
Others say he can't play in the NBA because he's short, but he was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2011 draft. Although he was the last player to be selected in that draft, he also started in most of his rookie season. The 175-centimeter-tall All-Star was labeled "Mr. Irrelevant" when he entered the league in 2011. irrelevant)".
And now, he's an All-Star — look at the Celtics' 117-114 win over the Miami Heat at North Shore Garden Arena, where he scored a career-high 52 points, including a record 29 in the fourth quarter.
origin
Yes, Thomas's stature makes it difficult to put pressure on the basket, and he can barely interfere with any player's shots. But as long as Thomas is equipped with a defensive player above the standard, he can fully display his talents on the offensive end.
Coach Stevens sees his ability to handle the ball: "Isaiah has a high ball dealer, he always takes advantage of fleeting opportunities, he is an expert in this area, but I think the most important thing is not the ball dealer, but courage and explosiveness." Because of his fearlessness, Isaiah always moves forward, and at the same time he has excellent explosive power. If you look closely at his game, you will find that he can dribble at any time and kill to the basket to end the attack. I was born to be useful, and Isaiah is really a very good player. ”
Thomas is the shortest player in the NBA. But he was almost the shortest player anywhere. He was despised every day. He has been persuaded by those who doubt him simply because of his size. He also knew that these denigrators would exist endlessly, because his height would indeed be an eternal problem.
Thomas wouldn't grow taller anymore. For the rest of his career, he will be a 5'9-inch defender. For the rest of his life, he would be a 5-foot-9-tall man. And when outsiders say, "You're too short to be that good," he's always furious.
"The only reason is that I'm only 5 inches 9 inches tall," he said, "which is why they talk about me like any other player." But I'm relieved. ”
Thomas' 52 points is the fourth highest single-game scoring record in Celtics history, behind Larry Bird (60 and 53) and Kevin McHale (56). Thomas scored the 29 points in the fourth quarter for the highest Celtics all-time, five points higher than the original record. His nine three-pointers tied Anthony Walker's all-time record.
"Congratulations to Isaiah for a great performance," Walker said in a text message to the Boston Globe, "never imagining that another Celtic would equal my record." ”
Isaiah Thomas has always believed in himself as a star. Although no one believes this.
This is something that no one can do: most players' careers are defined by the opinions of others.
Danny Angie wouldn't believe that. Although Thomas Jr.'s deal was handled by him — he got Thomas Jr. from the Phoenix Suns by sending marcus Thornton and the Cavaliers' 2016 first-round pick.
Thomas Jr. was just a Suns backup guard at the time, and his arrival quickly changed the entire Celtics. Before getting Thomas Jr., they had oscillated between "getting out of the grades" and "getting a good draw," and now they've started to be regulars in the top four in the East.
In any NBA city, this revival will be gladly accepted. But here, in Boston, there are still voices of doubt. It's a stadium with 17 championship flags flying, and no one here celebrates such a bland achievement, and even divisional champions are all too common.
Last season, despite not having much practice time to grind in with the best players they just arrived, the Celtics improved and made it to the playoffs in one fell swoop. What Thomas did was just the usual blocking, making everyone listen to his commands. And with their first round of playoffs swept by the Cavaliers, it also raised concerns about the team cap.
In terms of timing, Thomas's arrival was a perfectly appropriate time for both sides. The Celtics have a defensive lineup but lack reliable ball handlers, an effective offensive threat point to initiate the ball, and Thomas has an offensive skill and does not have the opportunity to fully use it.
As the only point of attack with the ball, Thomas is still an important puzzle piece of the team's lineup. All statistics show that Thomas is indispensable to the Celtics' offense. But even so, until a few months ago, the Celtics repeatedly sought to trade the "real superstars."
The addition of Al Hoferd seems to fit the timeline of the Celtics' rebuilding around Thomas Jr., but regardless of how the Celtics choose to rebuild, giving a player like Hoferd the biggest contract in the salary cap is something that needs to be considered.
He's probably three years old, and his skills fit in perfectly with Thomas Jr., and a big man like him with a high ball quotient and nimble fits almost the vast majority of players in the league, including defenders like Thomas Jr. We can say that in the beginning, the Celtics didn't really think about rebuilding around him. They still want players who look more starlike.
We can look at the performance of the "real superstars" in the point guard position this season compared to Thomas Jr., and then talk about whether Thomas Jr. is a "real superstar" or not.
Isaiah Thomas
He is averaging 29.9 points, 6.3 assists, 27.8per, and 62.9% true shooting per game
Kelly Owen
He is averaging 24.4 points, 5.9 assists and 21.9per 56.8% true shooting per game
Stephen Curry
He is averaging 24.7 points, 6.4 assists, 24.5per, and 62.8% true shooting
John Wall
He is averaging 22.8 points, 10.6 assists and 22.8per 54% true shooting per game
answer
There is no doubt that statistically speaking, Thomas is already a superstar. By any measure, he's one of the league's best point guards right now. There's no doubt that Thomas is a real cornerstone player and can be one of the big three of a championship team, and we can argue whether he's Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett in this big three version, but we can't veto the fact that he's a superstar.
Up to now, a source around Angie believes that "the probability of Angie trading Isaiah is only 0.01%, you know, Danny never says never, this is already the lowest probability." ”
And he's still making progress.
"I felt like the game was slowing down," Thomas said. "I'm not happy with myself enough, I've been training hard all summer and I want to be better. I've been trying to read the competition and I can feel my level improving. ”
The Celtics are now a national team, and they have shown a stronger integrity than most teams, and even many teams with a large number of shooters are inferior to them (such as the Thunder and Wizards). In the environment where passing is paramount, Thomas is like a fish: in the process of constantly moving the ball, he can constantly look for the flaws of his opponents and strike at the right time. In this way, Thomas avoided confronting tall opponents head-on.
Young, enjoyable fast-paced style and enviable locker room friendships, the Celtics, now led by Thomas, have a college basketball feel. On the road, they ate together and had noisy text messaging sessions. As Thomas said, "There are no arrogant people here, and no complaining guys." ”
This is not unrelated to the subtle adjustments in Thomas' playing style this season. At the beginning of the season, he aspired to be a better offensive player. His style hasn't changed much – he's still the blade that strikes the penalty area – but it's a manageable aggressiveness.
It fits a bit with Stevens' system — the coach has been raving about Thomas' training habits — and he loves to discuss how the guard is slowing down the game. But the most important thing is trust. The Kay team trusted him and he didn't have to use every minute on the pitch to prove his worth. You give Thomas the trust he dreamed of, and he realizes his responsibility.
"If I can score every shot, I'll come myself. Believe me. "But if passing is the better option, then the right way to play is to pass the ball to someone else, and as an organizational defender you have to learn how to decide, and I think I've learned a lot." ”
The Celtics need a star, and Thomas needs a team that believes he can be a star. And now, they met each other, this is a wonderful miss, but also a beautiful encounter,—— the crowd looking for him a thousand hundred degrees, suddenly looking back, the man is there, the lights are dimmed.