There have been hundreds of players to wear the gold, green, and white colors of the Boston Celtics at some point in their basketball careers. Those hundreds of players have stepped foot on the parquet floor to further the Celtics' goals of being one of the greatest franchises in the NBA's illustrious history. The crowds of TD Garden have cheered these players on with a fever that can match any team's fan base in American professional sports. And while the success and failure of these athletes did have an effect on how loud these cheers might have been, if a player embraces the Celtics culture, then they will be loved for years after they've stopped playing basketball.
It is easy to see this played out with some of the most beloved of these hundreds of players. Athletes such as Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and Bob Cousy will forever be able to walk into any location in Boston and be instantly recognized and practically mobbed by people desperate to shake their hands. It's a love and recognition that will surprise generations of time, and in some cases, shape a generation's fandom.
To be among some of the greats, however, is not an easy task. You have to be successful, for one thing, and the measure of greatness in Boston is, and always will be, championships. Russell, Bird, and Cousy all won multiple championships during their tenure playing on the parquet floor. Having a personality that can win over some of the tougher fans in Boston is a necessity, as well. But maybe most importantly, a love for the city of Boston, its fanbase, and the history surrounding the team must be evident in the player.
Being from a city of greatness, of champions, it doesn't take long for the fans of the Celtics to find a player that meets these types of expectations of being great and latch onto them. They will cheer this player on harder than any other until they either retire or leave the team. However, in certain cases, that love can be extended past when a player has moved on from the Celtics, which is an honor reserved for very few.
The honor to be loved by Celtics fans long after a player has stopped putting on the green and white for other colors of another NBA team isn't an easy one to achieve. However, Isaiah Thomas, currently a player for the Denver Nuggets won the hearts of the men and women in Boston in his short tenure. The courage, skill, and heart that he showed while playing for the Celtics could win over the hardest to please fans in an instant. He played with a swagger about him and a flair for the dramatic that made him one of the standout personalities on the early Brad Steven's led Celtics teams. But it was the adversity he played through day in and day out, standing at only five feet and nine inches, that truly won over the fanbase. Boston, loves it's courageous and personable players, and Isaiah fit right into that mold from the very moment he put on the green and white.
Isaiah Thomas came to the Boston Celtics in a trade with the Phoenix Suns, though this had not been the first time the player had moved cities. Originally drafted 60th overall out of Washington University by the Sacramento Kings in 2011, Isaiah was traded in his 4th season in the NBA to the Phoenix Suns. His small stature, ability to seemingly score at will, and the heart that he played with won him the fanbase's love in both of those cities, before eventually landing in Boston in a trade deal involving Marcus Thornton and a 2016 first round pick.
In Thomas's first season in Boston, 2014-2015, he would come off the bench to become one of the most productive 6th men in the entire NBA at the time. His season was extremely successful overall, scoring 17 points a game and at one point earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for a 34-point outburst against the Detroit Pistons.
If his first season was impressive, Thomas had a follow-up act that would blow the Boston fans away. Putting up even greater seasonal numbers than the year before, he became just the 9th player with a height under six feet to be named to a conference All Star Team, as well as the lowest drafted player to be named to a team. However, this Celtics team would fall to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in six games. This didn't come without some Isaiah Thomas heroics, however. He became the ninth Celtic to score 40 points in one game, ending with a career high 42 in game 3. Even with the Celtics falling short of the ultimate goal, this season served to put Isaiah in a spotlight that would shine bright well into the next season, which would undoubtably be his best.
The 2016-2017 Boston Celtic season was a special one, even by the city of Boston's standards. The man in the spotlight of this season was Isaiah, setting records left and right and being named to the Eastern Conference All Star Team yet again. It seemed as though Isaiah was completely unguardable. Back off of him? He would drill a pull-up three right in the defender's face. Attempt to guard him close on the perimeter? The man dribbled the ball lower than anyone else in the NBA and would blow past defenders like they were standing in concrete. Maybe double-teaming him would work? Nope, as he would more often than not split the trap and find the open man on the perimeter for a wide open jumper, leading to career high numbers of assists. Isaiah even earned himself the nickname, "Mr. Fourth Quarter," for scoring the most points in the fourth quarter, as well as having the highest field goal percentage and three point percentage in the league.
The moment, however, that would cement Isaiah Thomas as a Boston Celtic hero forever was during the playoff series against the Chicago Bulls, when his sister, Chyna, was tragically killed in a one car accident on April 17, 2017. Isaiah and his sister were extremely close, and the loss obviously affected him greatly. For most people, losing someone that close would earn you a pass to take time away to clear your head and be with family. Instead, Isaiah chose to continue to play. Almost as if the fans were watching a storybook play out in front of them, Isaiah led the Celtics to a series win in six games, before flying out to meet his family for Chyna's funeral after game six. He would rejoin the team for the Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Washington Wizards, leading the Celtics again to a series win in seven games, setting a career record in game two by scoring 53 points, becoming just the fifth Celtic ever to score 50 or more in a playoff game. It would have been Chyna's birthday the day he scored 53 points.
Eventually, the Celtics would fall to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, with Isaiah having been ruled out of the playoffs with an injured hip since game two of that series. After the season, the Celtics would be traded to the Cavaliers in a blockbuster trade involving him and Kyrie Irving. The trade was met with extremely mixed reactions from the Celtics fanbase, many of which mourned the fact that they would not be seeing Isaiah Thomas in a Celtics jersey come next season. The trade was mired with controversy, and is still one of the darkest spots on Danny Ainge's otherwise clean tenure as the Celtics' GM.
Now, a season later, Isaiah is beginning to suit up and play again, albeit this time for the Denver Nuggets. The reactions on Twitter, when Isaiah first suited up this season after finally recovering from the hip injury two seasons ago, were filled with joy and happiness from the Celtics fanbase. Even now, so long after he wore the green and white colors of Boston's team, Isaiah is a beloved figure in the NBA that will not be soon forgotten.
The Nuggets come to Boston on March 18, 2019. The love that he will receive from a fanbase that respects its greats will be amazing to witness. There will be tributes, and it's not hard to imagine that Thomas will put on a show while on the floor. But when the game comes to an end, and Isaiah has to leave the confines of TD Garden once again, he can know for sure, that no matter what jersey he may put on, in the hearts of many men and women in Boston, he will be a Celtic forever.
Cover photo by Matt Stone - Boston Herald
Sources:
NBA.com
Basketball-reference.com
Bostonherald.com
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