The 2016 calendar year has been a career-altering one for Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas, as he has catapulted himself from Mr. Irrelevant to a potential two-time All-Star selection. Relive his greatest moments of the past year here.
When the clock struck midnight on the night of December 31, 2015, Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas was little more than an afterthought to the casual NBA fan. He had catapulted himself to local notoriety in Boston after leading the Celtics to successful December campaign with 20.9 points and 7.7 assists per game, the highest single-month dime total of his career. However, Thomas’ star had yet to burst past the borders of the region, and even the New England supporters continued to doubt the 5’9″, 185-pounder’s ability to lead Boston to the postseason with the entire weight of the Celtics on his shoulders. To that point, he had posted 20 points per game over the course of an entire season just once, and had yet to be named to an All-Star team.
Fast forward 12 months, and plenty has been altered in Thomas’ world. He is now commanding the respect of pundits nationwide with his 26.8 points per game, the second-highest mark in the Eastern Conference, his usage rate of 32.7 percent, the seventh-highest number in the NBA, and his fourth quarter scoring average 8.8 points per performance, second only to inevitable MVP Russell Westbrook of the Thunder.
As the calendar flips to 2017, let us revisit five of Thomas’ best showings over the course of the past year.
5. April 24, 2016: Thomas forces overtime, drops 28 points in 43 minutes to tie up Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, 2-2
While matching a 42-point, career-best performance is a tall task, Thomas almost achieved it the following game last April, soaring for 28 points, six assists, and four rebounds in Game four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals as the Celtics equaled the Hawks at two games apiece with a 104-95 win.
Trailing by 16 points halfway through the third quarter in front of a groaning home crowd, Boston could feel their grasp on the opening round series slipping away as they fell closer to an insurmountable 3-1 hole. Hawks power forward Paul Millsap was in the midst of exploding for a playoff career-best of 45 points, and the Celtics were without their primary defender in shooting guard Avery Bradley.
However, Thomas responded, forcing overtime by piping in the game-tying layup with 15 seconds left before preventing Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague from getting a shot off as time expired. In the extra frame, Thomas flexed his muscles, knocking down the result-sealing three-pointer with 30 second left to give Boston a 102-95 lead that they would not relinquish.
4. April 6, 2016: Thomas single-handedly takes down New Orleans Pelicans in midst of playoff chase
With the Celtics fighting for a favorable seed in the postseason and reeling following an extensive five-game road trip, they entered a home matchup against the struggling Pelicans vulnerable to being caught in a trap by a squad hungry to play spoiler. Shorthanded New Orleans, without each of its top five scorers, charged Boston with all they could handle, tying the game up with 2:38 remaining following an 11-0 spurt. The Celtics needed their MVP to shoulder the load and pilot the squad to victory, and that is just the role that Thomas played.
Knowing what was at stake in terms of the playoff race, Thomas erupted for his 17th consecutive game of at least 20 points as Boston garnered a critical April triumph. He garnered 32 points on 10-19 shooting from the field and 3-6 shooting from deep, carving up the Pelicans defense to the tune of a +22 plus-minus rating. He also compiled eight assists on the night, preserving what would morph into a four-game winning streak to help clinch a top-five spot in the Eastern Conference for Boston.
3. February 10, 2016: Thomas’ double-double leads Celtics to statement overtime win over Clippers
With two of the most integral pieces of the Celtics 2008 championship run coming to town in head coach Doc Rivers and small forward Paul Pierce, Thomas was driven to assure the former leaders of the Boston brass that the team did not miss their services. In a thrilling matchup against the cream of the crop of the formidable Western Conference and one of the most effective point guards of the last decade in Chris Paul, Thomas showed out in the midst of a message-sending 139-134 Celtics victory in overtime.
While Paul exploded for 35 points and 13 assists, Thomas matched his counterpart throughout his 40 minutes of play. The Washington product posted 36 points and 11 assists while compiling a +7 plus-minus rating, sending word to the rest of the NBA that he could not just contend, but take down a perennial All-Star selection less than a week before his inaugural appearance on the big stage in Toronto. Thomas was integral in Boston’s late fourth-quarter comeback. He went 4-for-5 in the final 12 minutes, including two baskets in the game’s final 45 seconds to erase a 122-118 deficit and force the extra frame in which the Celtics ultimately reigned supreme.
2. December 20, 2016: Thomas records career-high 44 points, leads Celtics to comeback win over Memphis
Celtics assistant coach Jerome Allen learned an important lesson on this night in Memphis.
Don’t ever tell Thomas that he is not built to achieve.
After challenging Thomas’ ability to score 40 points at a halftime break in which a despondent Celtics squad faced a 45-31 deficit to a Grizzlies team boasting the NBA’s best Defensive Efficiency rating, Allen was proven wrong as Thomas riddled off one of the most astounding performances of the NBA season to date.
Thomas rattled off 36 points following halftime en route to a career-high 44 points on an incredible 10-16 shooting from the field, 7-10 efficiency from three-point land, and a perfect 17-17 mark from the free-throw stripe while leading Boston to a remarkable 112-109 overtime win over the Western Conference-powerhouse Grizzlies. Thomas became the first player since Kobe Bryant in January 2006 (remember his 81-point game?) to post 40+ points, knock down at least seven threes, and make 17 foul shots. His 17 made free throws were the most in Boston’s storied franchise history without a blemish, and he became the first player below six-feet to score at least 40 points in a single game since Nate Robinson’s 41 on January 1, 2010 as well as the first Celtics player to score 44 points since Pierce accomplished the feat in 2006.
Thomas put his killer instinct on full display with this tremendous offensive showing, all of which occurred in addition to just one turnover and six assists.
1. April 22, 2016: Thomas drops 42 points in first career playoff triumph
The most clutch of athletes shine brightest in the moments of the highest magnitude. Thomas cemented himself among the NBA’s most dependable high-volume performers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Atlanta Hawks.
Still searching for his first career playoff victory in the wake of a tumultuous 4-15, 16-point performance in a humiliating 89-72 Game 2 loss in Atlanta, Thomas invited his teammates to hop on his back for a ride to a momentum-grabbing 111-103 win. Behind a raucous TD Garden crowd, Thomas silenced those clamoring that his size precluded him from leading a team to a playoff triumph. He eclipsed 40 points for the first time in his NBA career, recording 42 and four rebounds on 12-24 shooting from the field and 5-12 shooting from deep. He went to the line 15 times and knocked down 13 of his foul shots, and sealed the riveting performance with a deep three-pointer with under two minutes remaining to hand the Celtics a 108-101 lead that they would preserve.
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