Isaiah Thomas to Miss Two Game Road Trip

The injuries keep coming as Isaiah Thomas is expected to miss the two game road trip

The Boston Celtics have been battling minor injuries to their entire lineup all season long, and they have have received news that Isaiah Thomas will be missing the next two games, against the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers (Via CBS Sports).

The Celtics never want to see a starter get hurt. They are a different team when at full strength, and have seen injuries get in their way multiple times this season. That being said, if Thomas was going to hand pick a time to miss two games, this is exactly where it should be.

There is absolutely no reason the Celtics should be dropping a game to the Nets or 76ers, with or without Thomas. They had one of their most convincing victories of the season against the Magic while Thomas was sidelined, and they need a similar approach to these two.

The Celtics are a lot better equipped to withstand an injury to their back court than their front court. Marcus Smart will take over the point with the starters, and Terry Rozier will get the added responsibility on the second unit. These are players that the Celtics are comfortable with in their rotation, and they will avoid the pitfalls of when Al Horford got hurt, and they had absolutely nobody that could replace him.

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As long as Thomas is able to return to the lineup at full strength following his two game absence, this could actually work to their advantage. Following these next two games is what is likely to end up being the most important game for the remainder of the season, as they will have an opportunity to get real separation from the Washington Wizards in the standings.

The Celtics absolutely need a healthy Thomas for that game, making it an easy choice to play it safe with this current injury. On top of that, these two games off should make sure that Thomas is fresh for that game, especially considering it is on the second night of a back to back.

The Celtics will be returning home and, if all goes according to plan, their starters should not be dealing with the traditional fatigue of a back to back, considering they should all be resting in the fourth quarter against two teams fighting for the top spot in the lottery.

That being said, the Celtics have had some hiccups against both these teams so far this year. They have fallen into that far too familiar trap of letting lesser competition hang around, and that could become much more problematic without Thomas there to bail them out in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics should realize the opportunity they have with two easy games leading up to the Wizards game, and they need to finish them off the way they did against the Bulls and Wolves, where it was never really within reach in the second half.

The Celtics are finally putting a bit of distance between them and the Wizards, and that Monday night game could be a crippling blow to the Wizards’ chances, but that is entirely predicated on the Celtics taking care of business while Thomas heals up.

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The Celtics have been playing well since they finally returned to full strength, and it is a tough blow to see Thomas go down now. That being said, injuries have not been an excuse at any point in this season, and this in no way could come close to justifying anything other than a commanding victory in both of the games that he is expected to miss.

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