Celtics torch passed: The Truth knows what time it is

http://www.espn.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4725199/torch-passed-the-truth-knows-what-time-it-is



Celtics torch passed: The Truth knows what time it is



8:29 PM PT



Chris Forsberg
ESPN Staff Writer



BOSTON -- On the eve of his final game in Boston, Paul Pierce engaged in a sprawling conversation with reporters inside Northeastern's Cabot Center, where the Los Angeles Clippers were preparing for an off-day practice. A nostalgic Pierce talked for 16 minutes -- a marathon by NBA interview standards -- before a member of the team's public relations staff interrupted and apologized that Pierce had to join the practice.

Reporters started to back away but Pierce had one more topic he couldn't leave without speaking on.

"Man, that boy Isaiah [Thomas] is killing," said Pierce as reporters shuffled close again. "He's starting to come into his own. He's figured it out. He's at the point in his career that he's figured it out. The game looks easy for him. I watched that last [national TV] game where they played, I think it was Detroit, and he had like 24 in the fourth. And the game just looked easy for him. Any time I have a chance to watch the Celtics I kind of keep up with them whenever they're on TV. But the game looks easy for him.

"He's easily the best point guard in the Eastern Conference."

Later that night, Pierce said the same to Thomas in person when they crossed paths at Boston steakhouse STRIP by Strega. Thomas, who seemed downright embarrassed when told of Pierce's earlier praise, eagerly huddled with one of Boston's most beloved hoopsters to pick his brain.

So what did they talk about?


"He's taken the torch, man," said Paul Pierce of Isaiah Thomas. "The city is proud of him for what he's doing. You know, I keep up. I've been watching him." Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images


"The city, championships, how good I'm playing right now, and when he first had that feeling when he figured it out," Thomas said. "And he said, 'When I watch you play, I can tell you figured it out. You're not forcing anything, the game's just coming to you, and it looks very easy.' We talked about a lot of topics. That was my first time sitting down and talking to him, so that was a real moment for me, to sit down and soak up all the game he was giving me. I'll have that forever."

In that moment, a torch was passed from one of Boston's greatest scorers, whose number will someday hang in the rafters, to a player who's already climbing the team's scoring list and hopes to carve out some real estate above the Garden parquet before he hangs up his high tops.

As Thomas elevates to an MVP-caliber performer this season, he's challenging some of Boston's scoring records, many of which have Pierce's name attached. But Pierce is fine watching Thomas try to start carving out his spot for this storied franchise.

"He's taken the torch, man," Pierce said. "The city is proud of him for what he's doing. You know, I keep up. I've been watching him. And especially where he's come from, I mean, he's been on like three or four different teams and now he's finally established himself as an NBA MVP candidate, All-Star. Just the route that he took -- he wasn't projected to really do much in the NBA as a small guy, and so he's taken a different route than a lot of us and he definitely could carry the torch in his time here."

Last week, Thomas became the first Celtic since Pierce in March 2012 to win the NBA's Player of the Month award. It's an honor that only four Celtics players have earned since the award debuted in 1979 (Antoine Walker and Larry Bird, the others). During a spellbinding January, Thomas fell short of the best scoring month in team history while averaging an East-best 32.9 points per game.

That record? It still belongs to Pierce, who averaged 33.5 points per game in February 2006.

Maybe Thomas will make another run at it this month. He earned his first Player of the Week honor -- this after six straight nominations -- on Monday after averaging 37.5 points per game during Boston's 4-0 week, which culminated with a win over Pierce's Clippers.

During Sunday's game, Thomas paid homage to Pierce when he held his follow-through while leaning toward the basket after a first-quarter 3-pointer, which happened to come with Pierce defending.

After the game, Pierce said he didn't notice Thomas mimic his familiar post-3-pointer pose but laughed when told of it.


"Are you talking about those weird things I did after I shot it?" Pierce said. "He understands that sometimes you have to will the ball in the hole. That's what that is. When you see me shoot the shot and then I lean to the side, that's willing the ball in the basket. So he's starting to learn that part of the game."

Thomas admitted he got caught up in Sunday's spectacle. He found himself cheering like the fans for Pierce's second-half return. Heck, Thomas wasn't even mad that Pierce made his late-game 3-pointer over him and even gave him a little extra space to get the shot up.

But watching the fans shower Pierce with love resonated with Thomas. He already has the city of Boston in his hands this season, but now he understands there's another level to ascend to by delivering a championship banner.

"You win a championship here, they'll give you their love forever," Thomas said. "That drives me a lot. I want to be like that one day, to be in that situation where I could be in the franchise for a long time, give it my blood, sweat and tears, and play your last game here and get that kind of love. It's unbelievable."



bob



.

If Thomas can do this, he's at a vintage Bird and Pierce level offensively right now, in the playoffs on a deep epic run, he will be a LEGEND !!

Yes, IT is playing great, and we love him, but will that prompt Danny to overlook Fultz or Ball - both such very promising point guards - in the upcoming draft? If Danny does draft one of those two, what will he do with our current crop of guards - Smart, Bradley, Rozier, Thomas, and Jackson? Surely one or more will be traded. Which one?

worcester wrote:Yes, IT is playing great, and we love him, but will that prompt Danny to overlook Fultz or Ball -  both such very promising point guards - in the upcoming draft? If Danny does draft one of those two, what will he do with our current crop of guards - Smart, Bradley, Rozier,  Thomas, and Jackson? Surely one or more will be traded. Which one?

its actually a good problem to have, I think one or another will be used as chips for a big.....and IT can play with Smart or Rozier initiating the offense, so sure he could play with either stud rook PG.

worcester wrote:Yes, IT is playing great, and we love him, but will that prompt Danny to overlook Fultz or Ball -  both such very promising point guards - in the upcoming draft? If Danny does draft one of those two, what will he do with our current crop of guards - Smart, Bradley, Rozier,  Thomas, and Jackson? Surely one or more will be traded. Which one?

W -

If we get the #1 pick, it will leave us with a nice dilemma to solve.

Almost without a doubt, three of the top five players in a fairly solid draft class are point guards.  Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball, aged 18 and 19 respectively, are considered the top two players expected to be available.  Our needs, of course, are shooting and a defense oriented big forward.

Fultz, although extremely young, appears to have no real weakness in his game.  He could be an ideal backcourt mate to Thomas.  Ball's only weakness is his long-range shooting.  At 6'4", and somewhere near 200lbs., with excellent shooting and defensive capabilities, Fultz could give us the whole enchilada; everything from shooting to D to another playmaker.

Although in the past I've been more in the camp of pass on Fultz and Ball, if we landed #1, and take Kansas SF Josh Jackson, Jackson's shooting has been a little "iffy" (as has Kansas' play). Right now I'd take Fultz and see if we can use our glut of guards to our advantage in a deal.  Hate to part with any, but Bradley would have the best trade value and perhaps Rozier would bring some interest too.  Thomas is off limits and Smart has that lockdown D ability.  If we're further down the list at 2 - 5, I'd consider Duke SF Jayson Tatum.  Although another Diaper Dandy at 18, Tatum would give us the shooting we need and probably quickly nail down the SF spot for years to come.

As usual, no Celtics front office personnel have been harmed in the making of this opinion.

Regards

Oh yeah, the original topic I got off of?  No doubt the torch has been passed to Thomas.  Now we need to get those two complimentary pieces that will allow IT and crew to compete with the Cavs.

I think we'll wind up with Smart, Bradley, Thomas, and a stud Rook PG. Rozier and Jackson will be traded. Smart will anchor the 2nd unit and also show up at the end of games as needed on D. Zizic will be great at center. Yabousele will blow people's minds, Jae will get even better, and Jalen will come into his own. And then in 2018 we'll get another great pick from the Nyets. Gotta love those Russian plutocrat basketball team owners.

NY Celt. with the most ping pong balls, don't we have a 2/3 chance of getting the #1 or #2 pick in the draft?

worcester wrote:NY Celt. with the most ping pong balls, don't we have a 2/3 chance of getting the #1 or #2 pick in the draft?

Not sure of what the exact odds are for us at each draft spot, but I remember reading we have a 25% chance at the first pick, almost 50% shot at one of the first two, and a virtual lock on one of the top 4.

I think it works out we get Brooklyn's 1st, Minny's pick projected at 35, Clips pick projected at 53, and Cavs pick projected at 58, all unprotected. Brooklyn gets our pick projected at 56.

That Minny pick at 35 could be useful in a trade. No salary cap complications I believe.

I just checked the NBA site regarding odds.
We'll have a 25% chance of getting the #1 pick,
46.51% chance of getting the 2nd pick if we don't get the first, and
a 64.28% chance of getting the third pick if we don't get one of the first two picks, and
a 100% chance of getting the 4th pick if we don't get one of the first three.

So we WILL get one of the first four picks. Danny also has the option of trading up with all our reserves of #1 picks. A hungry and lucky team in the draft may want to trade with us if we don't draft #1 and they do.