Isaiah Thomas' sons stole the show at his post-game media session
After helping lead the Boston Celtics to a huge 104-95 overtime win in Game 4 of their first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks, Boston's Isaiah Thomas headed to the podium for a post-game press conference to discuss how the Celtics knotted their best-of-seven first-round series up at two games apiece. The Celtics All-Star wasn't alone, however; he was joined by his two young sons, James and Jaden, who made their bid to be this postseason's answer to Riley Curry by offering a delightful capper to Thomas' six-minute session with reporters:
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“Hi everybody," said James Thomas. "Isaiah is the greatest basketball player."
Now, granted: the lad might be a bit biased, seeing as how Isaiah is also the guy who, y'know, plays with him, reads him books before bed, brings him to school and makes sure he's got stuff to eat and a place to live. Still, the Boston point guard made a fairly compelling case for himself on Sunday night, continuing to roast the Hawks' defense at TD Garden with 28 points on 11-for-23 shooting, six assists, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 43 minutes. He came through at pivotal junctures for the C's, knifing through Atlanta's whole team for a game-tying layup in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to force overtime:
... and drilling a corner 3 with 30 seconds left in overtime to put Boston up by seven and plunge a dagger into the heart of the Hawks' comeback hopes:
After shooting just 33 percent from the field through the series' first two games as the Hawks' suffocating defense focused primarily on shutting him down, Thomas has exploded, thanks in part to coach Brad Stevens' starting lineup shakeup.
The insertion of reserves Evan Turner and Jonas Jerebko into Boston's starting five has helped unleash Thomas. With Turner on the floor, he no longer has to serve as the Celtics' primary (and often sole) ball-handler and playmaker; with Jerebko at the four, the Celtics have another reliable shooter whom the Hawks have to defend out to the 3-point line.
The upshot: Thomas gets to attack an Atlanta defense that has already been moved and compromised somewhat by some initial penetration, and has more space on the interior through which to maneuver since the Hawks can't pack the paint quite as easily. The result: 35 points per game on 48.9 percent shooting over the last two games, tying up the series, breathing life back into TD Garden, and giving the Celtics and their fans renewed hope of pulling an upset to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
"The best players figure it out," Thomas said after Game 3, according to Paul Flannery of SB Nation, and he's one of them — just ask James.
With the press conference over, the troika of Thomases headed off the podium ... except that Jaden, wearing his dad's kelly green No. 4 jersey, had one last thing to share (besides joyous laughter) with the assembled members of the media.
"Thank you,” said Jaden Thomas, "for your honesties."
It's nice to see a young person who's got some faith in the media. Celtics fans will hope that there are plenty more wins to celebrate in the weeks ahead, and thus plenty more opportunities to catch up with Thomas' sons.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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