NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
The half way point of this NBA season is coming at us hoop heads fast. The NBA game has changed from the Miami Heat and New York Knicks grind it out battles of the late 90’s to the stretch big man who spreads out the floor and the use of analytics. But one thing that remains the same is how tall you are matters and is always talked about. Most fans are not 6’3 or taller so they hold a special place in their heart for the little guy who fights his way onto the court. This season the Boston Celtics are relevant again and a BIG reason for that is the outstanding play of the kid from the University of Washington. Isaiah Thomas stands 5’9 and has been told his whole life he was too small to play and be a factor. His resume is nothing to laugh at a Pac-10 Freshman of the year, Pac-10 all first team, and a finalist for the Bob Cousey Award given to the nation’s top point guard. Each of his 3 years as a Husky his game improved and he demanded attention from opponents.
With all those accomplishments to his credit, he left school early to enter the NBA Draft, and it once again became the topic of conversion his size. In 2011 59 players, per the experts were better than Thomas and to the Sacramento Kings, he went. He didn’t do much just finished in the top 10 for rookie of the year voting and was NBA all-rookie second team. By year number 3 he was averaging 20 points a game but still was too small, not what you want in a starting point guard. The break thru came in 2014 when he made his way to one of the NBA elite franchise the Boston Celtics.
It was a perfect fit! A hard working, never say die little guy who brought his hard hat to work every day and a fan base that loves its teams like few fans do. He was named to the all-star team and led the Celtics to the playoff where all he did was average 25 points per game. He is drawing comparisons to another Isaiah Thomas who played for the bad boys and a certain undersized guard who played for the 76ers.
| 2016 – 17 | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | PPG | RPG | APG | BPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEASON | 33.9 | 45.9 | 38.3 | 90.7 | 28.4 | 2.7 | 6.1 | 0.1 |
The respect he looked for is coming his way Thomas name is being thrown around when people talk about the top point guards in the NBA. A solid playoff run will only help his status and he is a fan favorite, from his videos of him shooting hoops with fans in the park, to his chats with New England legend Tom Brady. And when it’s money time aka the fourth quarter my dude is ballin, leading the league in 4th quarter scoring. Don’t look now Toronto Raptors but Thomas and the Celtics are coming if there is an area for improvement it would be his 3-point shooting and after working on it all offseason strides are being made. So, next time your son or daughter is told they are too small to ball, go to YouTube and show them some Isaiah Thomas clips. Is he an MVP contender so far, this year? I say YES.
