Thank you Isaiah Thomas

dabombdig

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Aug 14, 2008
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On April 29th Isaiah Thomas gave the eulogy for his sister's funeral in Washington State. On April 30th IT scored 33 points and dropped 9 assists at the Boston Garden to lead the Celtics to victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Writing and giving the eulogy for my sister a month before IT did the same - was one of the most emotionally difficult tasks I have ever had to complete. Even more difficult is trying to move forward with everyday chores and responsibilities in the immediate aftermath of of that day - never mind flying cross country to play a game of basketball.

My heartache over losing my sister and my love for the game of basketball connected me to IT's playoff run unlike any other experience I have had as a sports fan. What IT accomplished was difficult, unforgettable, and inspiring to me as someone who understands what he was going through. I know this is shouting out into the wilderness but as a fan I am thankful to IT for the playoff run he gave to Boston and I wish him the best going forward.
 

Boston Brawler

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DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Thanks for posting that. It was exactly what I would expect from him based on what we know about Thomas.

I simply cannot be rational about this guy. I know about his defensive limitations and that his injury may severely limit him going forward. I know the Celtics were extremely unlikely to win a championship with him and they weren't going to sign him. I know that regardless of how Irving performs, the Cs still have the salary slot for one more season.

That all said, I still wish Thomas was a Celtic. Over the past few seasons he became one of my favorite professional athletes ever. And this piece only reinforced my love of IT4.
 

JCizzle

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Damn, that was fucking tough to read. IT is a Celtic for life, I'll never forget watching him play and being truly amazed. I think his first game back is gonna be PP's retirement, that game is going to be ultra special. Both deserve standing ovations for the entire game.
 

Merkle's Boner

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IT is the man! Love what he had to say about loyalty. I will never diss a player for making a personal decision to play where he wants.
 

DannyDarwinism

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Damn that was tough to read.

"In my mind, I wanted to be the Celtics version of Brady and Ortiz."

"But they ain’t never figured me right."
 

Minneapolis Millers

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I really hope he ends up signing with some other team after next year, so that we don't have to deal with getting beaten by an IT/LeBron team year after year.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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Thomas with a long story on The Players' Tribune about how everything went down and how sad/hurt he is. Good read. Got a little misty-eyed at the end.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/isaiah-thomas-trade-celtics-cavaliers/
That's awesome. I was thinking today, post Kyrie trade hype, how much I'll miss Isaiah. This cements it. I was at Game 1 against the Bulls and when he was introduced it was the most oddly personal, emotional sports moment I think I'll ever experience. Maybe it's just recency bias, maybe not, but I think IT might be my favorite Celtic since my basketball consciousness began in the Antoine Walker era.
 

InstaFace

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That was a great read. My 8 year old fell in love with Celtics basketball because of him, so I think his final thoughts will certainly be coming true in the years to come.
Yeah, there will certainly be a great many people for whom that's true, he'll get his wish and then some. And after all, that's why the stars get paid their Brinks Trucks, right? To inspire while entertaining.

One-way players have the ability to star in nearly every team sport - witness Manny Ramirez, or Cristiano Ronaldo, or the NFL's many Jobs that need Doing - but the NBA is harsher than the rest in demanding completeness.

I really hope he goes and makes his money somewhere after next year and comes back to Boston to finish his career. Injuries be damned, I want him to retire as a Celtic.
I have to imagine that if Danny got another chance to talk to Thomas, he'd tell him the door would be wide open for that. IT got his chance to be great. He was great for us, he can go be great for Cleveland for as long as his body can hold up. And when he's done being great and content with being merely very good, he will be an McHale-level 6th man for whatever team he chooses... hopefully ours.

I also have to imagine that opening night, there will be plenty of handmade signs saying something like:

Isaiah Thomas
is a Celtic for life
(even if he beats us)
 

Sam Ray Not

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IT is the man! Love what he had to say about loyalty. I will never diss a player for making a personal decision to play where he wants.
I've always been a huge IT fan, but love him even more after he ripped the KD haters. :)

Totally sucks that he has to play for Dan Gilbert for a year; hopefully he catches on somewhere good next year. Such a shame his hometown Sonics are no longer with us (F U Clay Bennett...)
 

Eddie Jurak

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When he returns to Boston, they should do a highlight video for him right before the start of the 4th.
 

sox311

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That's what she said.
I simply cannot be rational about this guy. I know about his defensive limitations and that his injury may severely limit him going forward. I know the Celtics were extremely unlikely to win a championship with him and they weren't going to sign him.

That all said, I still wish Thomas was a Celtic. Over the past few seasons he became one of my favorite professional athletes ever. And this piece only reinforced my love of IT4.
I'm glad that I am not the only one who is completely irrational about this. I simply can't get over it and let my head win. I mean, I will, but it won't be the same. He is 100% correct and this should stop any rational fan from ever complaining about loyalty again. There ain't none to a team.
 

lovegtm

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I don't usually get emotional, but that piece choked me up.

That said, it really felt like IT's leaving marks the end on an era. That picture in the article -- it's him, Amir, Jae, and Avery, and I think Evan Turner in the background. That team was really fun, and now it's done. That's sports, and that's life.

I'm not sure how to say this without sounding cold, but it almost feels right that IT's time ended now--it's a new phase, and he brings a different kind of mentality and energy that I'm not sure would fit in the same way with this more blue-chip version of the team.
 

Manzivino

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In my head, I knew IT wasn't going to be here after this season. His max contract expectations, his age, his skillset, his injury - my head did the math and fully expected him to sign elsewhere next offseason. My head told me it would hurt losing IT as an asset for nothing.

My heart hurts worse at trading him. I loved watching him, and he genuinely seemed to love being a Celtic. He turned what should have been a dark time in team history into an unprecedentedly fast turnaround. This rebuild is his, only behind Danny and Brad; they don't sign Horford and Hayward without IT winning games and recruiting. I hope his hip holds up. I hope he gets his Brinks truck. I hope he's back in Green someday, dancing through tree trunks and draining 30 footers after contact.

The King in the Fourth. The King in the Fourth. The King in the Fourth!
 

Reardon's Beard

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Word is the The King in the Fourth is about to be or has been waived by the LA Clippers as part of a trade.

Bench scoring is never a bad thing to have. Is a reunion in the cards for The Boston Celtics in 2020?
 

Light-Tower-Power

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I said it in the other thread that no he's not a viable NBA player any longer and other than three point shooting there is nothing he could do to make this team better.

But, I love that guy. He's my favorite Celtic. I would be lying if I said I wouldn't want to see him in green one last time even if he sucks.
 

lovegtm

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Word is the The King in the Fourth is about to be or has been waived by the LA Clippers as part of a trade.

Bench scoring is never a bad thing to have. Is a reunion in the cards for The Boston Celtics in 2020?
Bench scoring is a very bad thing to have if it's only a marginal upgrade (if that), totally torpedos your defensive schemes, and brings an irrationally confident, somewhat selfish player into a kumbaya group.