Can Isaiah Thomas Perform On Playoff Stage?

As the Boston Celtics coasted to an easy 124-109 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, all it took was 25 minutes and nine field goal attempts for Isaiah Thomas to reach the 20-point mark for the 19th consecutive outing.

However, as the stakes became amplified on Saturday night at Phillips Arena, as the Celtics battled the Atlanta Hawks for sole possession of the third seed in the Eastern Conference, a version of Thomas that we had not witnessed since Boston’s first round exit at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers last April ominously returned.

With the pressure ratcheted up a notch in front of a postseason-like atmosphere in Atlanta, Hawks point guards Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder picked up their defensive intensity on the potent Thomas. They forced themselves into the grill of the 5’9″ scoring guard while never ceasing to harass him throughout the night, putting Thomas in a plethora of uncomfortable situations that he visibly struggled to adapt to.

The Washington product was subjected to his first glimpse of postseason-esque defense in 2015-16, and despite his magical performance throughout the season, he may not be prepared for the transition to playoff basketball that he will need to confront should the Celtics wish to meet their objectives this spring.

While Thomas has played at an MVP-like clip throughout the better part of this season, the fact of the matter is that the defenses he will face in the postseason from the likes of Teague, Schroder, the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ Matthew Dellavedova, and the Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry should the Celtics advance past the first round, will be far more frustrating then what he saw prior to Saturday night’s defeat.

Looking at Thomas’ performance amid the pressure of Teague and Schroder in that performance leaves little room for optimism. After hitting four of his seven field goal attempts to coincide with just one turnover in the first half, Thomas struggled mightily in the second half when the Celtics needed his offensive output the most.

He shot 2-for-12 from the field and committed three costly turnovers in the final two frames. Thomas’ most critical miscue came with 3:26 remaining in the game and Boston trailing by four, as Teague rushed him while he walked the ball up and picked his pocket, taking the ball the length of the floor for an easy breakaway layup which punctuated a 13-1 run over the final 4:05 of the contest.

Overall, Thomas’s 16-point, 6-of-19 shooting effort in Saturday’s game brought back haunting memories of the 2014-15 postseason for Celtics fans, as Thomas shot just 18-of-54 from the field and 3-for-18 from three-point range in Boston’s 4-0 sweep at the hands of the Cavaliers in the first round.

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If the Celtics wish to win a playoff series for the first time since 2012, Thomas must prove himself capable of handling postseason pressure.