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Boston Celtics Need to Get Isaiah Thomas Going Early

By Joshua Bateman

May 4, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures from the bench as Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (R) looks on against the Washington Wizards in the third quarter in game three of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 116-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
May 4, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures from the bench as Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (R) looks on against the Washington Wizards in the third quarter in game three of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 116-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Isaiah Thomas may be the only answer for the first quarter struggles

The Boston Celtics have trailed after the first quarter in all seven of their meetings against the Washington Wizards this season. The Celtics know they have to improve their start to get a win in game four, and it is time they went right to what they know will work best.

The Celtics often look to get others involved early on. Both Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder are known for hot starts, and they will certainly be a part of it. The difference needs to be that the Celtics allow Thomas to control everything early on. The Celtics often run the offense in different ways to get everyone involved, but the priorities clearly need to change to fix these starts, and Thomas is what they can trust most.

Al Horford will also be a big part of it, because he is often the key to getting Thomas going. Their action in the pick and role is one of the best ways for them to attack, and Thomas’ penetration opens all kinds of shots up for Horford.

The Celtics need to make sure that Thomas is controlling the game, so that he and Horford can be the two best players on the court to start out the game. If the Celtics get the two of them going, the Wizards will not be able to build these kinds of leads, and could throw them off the kind of game that worked so well in their victory.

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The starting lineup is going to continue to be a problem. Stevens mentioned how he did not want to break up the second unit that had been so successful, but game three might change that. Either way, depending on the natural chemistry and rhythm is proving to be too risky right now, and they need to impose their best players right away.

Thomas and Horford have both shown that when they are at their best, the Wizards cannot defend them. If the Celtics are not going to be successful with Thomas controlling things, they will be able to live with it. And, if it doesn’t work with Thomas, they will be in the exact same spot as the first three games.

Thomas will also only ever have a certain degree of control. Taking over does not mean taking every shot. The Celtics need to run the offense through Thomas with the ball in his hands because that is how the Celtics get their best looks.

The team has proven that they can get even easier looks when they move the ball as a team. Unfortunately, that is a lot harder to trust than Thomas right now. With Horford there to help him, the Celtics need to punish the Wizards early, then look for a boost from the others afterwards.

It is easier said than done. The Wizards will focus everything on stopping Thomas and getting the ball out of his hands. The Celtics always look to make the right play, and that often means Thomas giving up control as the Wizards overcompensate on him.

The Celtics need to find a way to neutralize whatever the Wizards did to slow down Thomas in game three. They do not need another 53 point performance, but if he is the best player on the court, it is hard to see the Celtics losing.

The Celtics went on that six game winning streak because of how well they have played as a team. Stevens does not want to go back to Thomas having to do anything by himself, and he has done a remarkable job of making sure the secondary guys are in a position to succeed.

With how bad these starts have been, it may be time to threaten some of the overall team success, to see if Thomas can carry them through a first quarter that is not ending with them acing a double digit deficit. Thomas is the only player that can create a run by himself, and that is something they need early on right now.

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Thomas will not have to carry this load for the whole game, but it looks like they are out of options with these first quarters. If the Celtics do not fix this problem, the Wizards will be turning this into a three game series, while handing the Celtics their second two game losing streak in the playoffs. It was one thing to bounce back after losing two straight to the Bulls. Even though the series will be the same, going back to Boston tied 2-2 will feel nothing like the first round.

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