Isaiah Thomas devastated by loss to Atlanta Hawks, but Boston Celtics future still bright

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2016/04/isaiah_thomas_devastated_by_lo.html



Isaiah Thomas devastated by loss to Atlanta Hawks, but Boston Celtics future still bright





Isaiah Thomas distraught after Boston Celtics loss to Atlanta Hawks



Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com



on April 29, 2016 at 8:30 AM, updated April 29, 2016 at 9:27 AM




BOSTON -- After the most impressive year of his basketball life, Isaiah Thomas could not summon the effort necessary to move. With his head down and a towel draped over his face, the Boston Celtics guard sat in front of his locker, crushed by a first-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

No words could have removed his disappointment, but the Celtics all tried anyway. Assistant coach Jerome Allen leaned over, rubbed Thomas' back and gave the guard a pep talk for at least a minute or two. Nobody else took the playoff exit so hard, but nobody else carried as much pressure as Thomas did every game. He emerged as an All-Star this season, continued flying to places nobody else believed he could, and in his heart he felt like he could lead his team to the second round of the playoffs -- or with a little luck, who knows, maybe even somewhere beyond that.

Instead the Celtics bowed out of the playoffs Thursday night with another miserable offensive showing, a 104-92 defeat that drove Thomas to tears. Evan Turner almost walked out of the locker room after a brief goodbye, but doubled back when he saw the depths of his teammate's pain. Before leaving, Turner tried to lift Thomas up like the guard lifted the Celtics so many times.

"I just told him he played a great season," Turner said. "Obviously he proved a lot. Just as a leader and player, he's one of the best guys in the league. Sometimes we've just got to pay our dues and we'll be back. We have a lot more to accomplish, especially him and his career."

"It's not the end," Turner continued. "It's going to get brighter and brighter for him."

For all the tears, this was the promise Thursday night: the Celtics won't be first-round fodder forever. They should return to the playoffs one year from now, older, wiser, and maybe with another star or two to take the heat off Thomas. With three first-round draft picks and all sorts of financial flexibility, team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will chase all the top talent, from free agents like Kevin Durant to possible trade options like Jimmy Butler or whoever else might hit the market. The progress over head coach Brad Stevens' first three seasons has been admirable, but Boston needs more talent -- a truth that was never more evident than during the last two games of the series, when the Hawks grew bolder and bolder with their defense on Thomas. Even put in advantageous situations, none of the other Celtics could step up and knock down shots.

Every aggressive double team served as a reminder: Thomas needs scoring help. Avery Bradley would have made a big difference and Jae Crowder would have contributed far more on a healthy ankle, but the playoffs have exposed Boston's roster in each of the last two seasons. Ainge understood his team needed upgrades during an entertaining regular season, and he damn sure knows it after all the punishment from the Hawks. Even before the final two quarters of Game 6, another one of the Celtics front-office figures promised, "It will be an important June and July."

Before Thomas could steady himself, his teammates were fielding questions about what pitches they would give to prospective free agents. The answers revealed what jumped out over the 88-game season: the Celtics enjoyed each other deeply.

"This team, we're a team," Marcus Smart said. "One thing for sure that we're going to do is always fight every game. And I think everybody likes to play with guys that are going to fight and compete every game."

The Celtics grew this year. Their defense finished fifth in the NBA. Their offense climbed into the top half of the rankings. Thomas became a borderline All-NBA candidate. Crowder developed into a two-way threat. Along with Bradley and Smart, those guys form a talented, young perimeter core, all under team-friendly contracts through at least 2018. In a tougher Eastern Conference, Boston improved by eight wins and had a chance for homecourt advantage entering the final night of the regular season.

In a way, even Thomas' devastation stood as a measure of progress. One year ago, he walked out of a sweep against the Cleveland Cavaliers without showing nearly the same level of emotion. The Celtics never would have admitted it then, but they expected a quick exit against LeBron James. This time around, the dreams were bigger, the heartache more severe. Boston thought it had enough to beat Atlanta, but Bradley strained his hamstring in Game 1, Crowder and Kelly Olynyk struggled with injuries of their own, and the Hawks took full advantage of the utter lack of shooting surrounding Thomas. At the end of the series, even Stevens admitted Atlanta is "better right now."

"Yes, there's progress," the coach said. "But you know, hey, people have told me all along there's two really tough tasks. One is getting to be a very good, competitive team at a top 10-15 level on offense and defense and give yourself a chance to be in the discussion we're in now. And that's been a path in the last three years to get there. And the next one is tough. ... We learned a lot through this playoff series, but one of the things that I learned is we've got to get better. And you know what? That starts with me. I've got to get better, and then I think each of our players will look at that accountably as well and we're all going to be better the next time we take the court."

Reflecting on a tough series, Crowder vowed the struggles will drive him to return "a different player than I am today." Smart added, "I'm definitely going to take some time and reevaluate this series, and look at it, and see what I need to do to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"For young guys, sour's not all bad, right?" Stevens said. "Because it's like me, I'm going to go home and watch what I can do different. I know that. And I hope that our guys feel the same way. They need to take some time off, but after that, let's get better."

The Celtics need to get a whole lot better. Thomas knew that as he choked back tears. He knew it as he called Boston "a special group" -- twice -- and he knew it as he said, "I'll ride with these guys until the wheels fall off." He knew it, surely, when he passed out of double teams and nobody else could put the ball through the hoop. After relaxing himself enough for a postgame press conference -- which he delivered with eyes blood red from all the emotions -- Thomas joked anybody on the roster could be on the move this summer.

"We don't got no Michael Jordan here, so anybody's name could be in rumors," he chuckled. "Anybody could be gone."

Ainge would move anyone for the right price, of course, but for Thomas that would need to be steep. The little lefty has established himself as a dynamite playmaker, one of the foundational pieces -- yes, Gary Tanguay -- who could one day help the Celtics return to the top. Naturally, the breathtaking scorer hopes to stick with the team that embraced his gifts, gave him the ball and told him to create as much magic as he could. He appreciates the chance he was given in Boston, but wants so much more.

Turner might not be around for the Celtics' next step. A free agent this summer, he knows the organization could go in a different direction. As much as he has enjoyed the last two seasons, he seems at peace with the notion his free-agency desires might not meet the team's.

Turner was not at peace with seeing Thomas so distraught. Circling back to his teammate, Turner dished out one final assist, telling Thomas not all seasons will end like this one.

"Guys like Isaiah, with that talent, Danny's going to make sure he builds around it," Turner said. "As opposed to being done playing in April, I think Isaiah will have the opportunity one of these times to be done playing in June."

That's always the goal in Boston. The past two seasons have brought plenty of development, loads of fun, but it's time to get serious now.



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