Isaiah Thomas gets Brad Stevens’ message

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/04/12/isaiah-thomas-gets-message-coach-was-sending/Ls5zCZss9CDVH1ZplteeUO/story.html



Isaiah Thomas gets Brad Stevens’ message






Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) didn’t get his way with referee Ben Taylor or coach Brad Stevens, who played Thomas just 20 minutes Monday.
BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF




By Gary Washburn GLOBE STAFF  APRIL 12, 2016




WALTHAM — The only positives that emerged from the past two Celtics losses – by a combined 25 points to Atlanta and Charlotte — is that Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder played limited minutes in each game.

For Thomas it wasn’t such a positive after he logged 20:48 in the 114-110 loss to the Hornets on Monday. It was a second consecutive subpar game for the All-Star point guard, as he scored 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting with three missed free throws and six turnovers.


Since his streak of 18 consecutive games of scoring 20 or more points, Thomas has totaled 33 points in the past two games on 12-for-32 shooting, 2-for-7 on 3-pointers, and 10 turnovers. The Celtics need a sharp and focused Thomas for Wednesday’s season finale against the Miami Heat, a game that will determine the Celtics’ first-round playoff opponent and whether they will have home-court advantage.

“It did [upset me] but I guess with the way I was playing I guess that’s why [coach Brad Stevens] did that but you gotta move on from it,” Thomas said. “You can finish your question, my bad. I just had to get that out there. So I’m trying to be positive, be happy, and worry about [Wednesday].”

Thomas is second on the Celtics in minutes played behind Avery Bradley and he usually comes in to close games in the fourth quarter. But he exited Monday with 3:55 left in the third period and did not return.


“Knowing that group [that was on the court] wasn’t doing anything I guess,” he said about Stevens’s decision. “He wanted to see something new. He wanted a new type of energy. He didn’t say that to me. But knowing him and how he coaches, he does that. You have to be ready for whatever he comes at you with.”

A Celtics win Wednesday likely earns them the fourth seed and home-court advantage in a first-round series with the Heat. A loss could send them to the sixth seed and a potential first-round series with the Hawks, who have beaten the Celtics three times this season.


“It makes me come out the next game on fire, with a different mindset and proving [Stevens] might have made the wrong decision,” Thomas said. “It makes you rethink things and lock back in and know that you gotta play better, you gotta to do better, and Coach is doing whatever he can to make this team the best team possible and you’ve got to go with whatever he decides.”

Thomas said he has a strong relationship with Stevens, so he has no intention of questioning his decisions.

“He’s been that guy, whether he texts you, ‘come to my office’ when you get in or you text him that you just want to talk about a few things, his door is always open,” Thomas said. “And that’s why guys respect him. Because no matter if you’re in the worst mood ever, he’ll sit down and talk to you and try to figure out what the problem is.”


Postseason preparation

Stevens said he is not particularly interested in the plethora of playoff scenarios in play for the Celtics, who could be seeded fourth, fifth, or sixth depending on the result of Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s games.

“Somebody just put in my desk the scenarios and I said, ‘do you mind throwing that away,’ ” Stevens said. “It’s a headache to even try to figure out. We’re [currently] playing the three teams that we may play in the last three games [of the regular season]. I think we learned a lot of things that we can do well that maybe haven’t done as well as in the past.

“Certainly you have to focus on things you can control and that’s going to stay the same.”

The Celtics held the third seed for good portion of the season before losing seven times during a 12-game stretch in March. Now the team risks losing home-court advantage by losing Wednesday against the Heat. The question is whether the Celtics really consider home-court advantage all that important, especially when the first-round series could be so even.

“No matter what in the playoffs, you can’t be a dud on the road and try to win a playoff series,” Stevens said. “You can’t be good but inconsistent at home. Our team, as bitter of a taste as we may feel from [Monday] night, we’ve put ourselves in a great position all year. These guys have done a lot of good things and we look forward to playing whoever we play, wherever we play.”

Said Crowder: “[Home court] is important. We worked so hard. We put a great year together. We just want to finish the right way, play the right way. But we know [to advance] you still have to win games on someone else’s court. It’s not the end of the world if we don’t. We just have to put together a good series.”

Stevens said he has no plans of resting any of his players Wednesday. In addition to Thomas’s limited minutes Monday, Crowder played just 21:12, Jared Sullinger 16:38, and Bradley 24:23, so the Celtics could be well rested.

The Heat could be even stronger Wednesday after signing veteran swingman Dorell Wright, who played this season in China. He is eligible the playoffs. Rookie Justise Winslow could play after spraining his ankle Sunday against the Orlando Magic.



bob


.

The issues that Stevens had with Thomas and him losing his focus got quickly resolved. Seems that Stevens knows his players quite well and this is a good reason why he is such a good coach.

Last night, the entire first half, would have been a prime time to lose focus, etc, but Thomas not only did not lose his, but he certainly helped the other players to achieve possibly the best comeback seen around here in quite a while.

Hopefully, being concerned with the officials when things are not going well is now a thing of the past for this team as it heads into the playoffs where the competition is going to be plenty strong enough not to put any time or energy into arguing with officials.