Can Celtics Win Without Isaiah Thomas’ Best?

Isaiah Thomas struggled during last year’s postseason, what if it happens again?

5’9″ point guard Isaiah Thomas has been the Boston Celtics unquestioned MVP throughout the season, leading the team with 22.6 points and 6.2 assists per game, to go along with a 21.5 PER. He provided the squad with crucial buckets in fourth quarter sequences in which nobody else on the team could muster a made field goal.

Thomas’ reputation around the NBA soared after earning a well-deserved nod to the all-star team, before putting up 25.9 points per game in March and assembling value statistics similar to that of destined-unanimous MVP selection Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.

However, as Thomas scuffled through two treacherous performances against the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets this past week, shooting a combined 12-32 while scoring less than 20 points in each performance after a stretch of 19 consecutive games above that threshold, the team struggled. The Celtics fell short in two critical games while squandering the opportunity to lock up home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

This brings up the question: As Thomas faces an increased amount of defensive pressure in the upcoming postseason series with the fourth-seeded Atlanta Hawks, can Thomas’ supporting cast follow suit and lead the Celtics to victory?

Judging from Boston’s comeback 98-88 victory over the third-seeded Miami Heat in the season finale on Wednesday night, garnering a key victory or two without Thomas at his best is a possibility.

Yes, Thomas led the team with 21 points while garnering six assists and four rebounds, hitting two of his four three-point attempts combined with just one turnover. However, the Washington product hit just two of his 11 two-point attempts, and struggled with penetrating past center Hassan Whiteside and the Heat’s defense throughout the night, putting the onus on his teammates to fight back from a 26-point deficit.

And that they did.

Trailing 65-41 with 11:25 remaining in the third quarter, the Celtics engineered a mind-blowing 20-0 run to bring themselves within contention for the victory and stave off a trip to Miami as the six-seed in the playoffs, with just six points coming from Thomas during the run.

Center Jared Sullinger began the surge with a driving layup, followed by a dunk by shooting guard Avery Bradley, and a short jumper from center Amir Johnson before a layup by Thomas which cut the deficit to 65-49 with just over nine minutes remaining. Then, small forward Jae Crowder scored a layup, Bradley converted on a field goal, and Johnson dunked it home to lessen the Heat lead to 65-55.

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Thomas then sandwiched a Crowder bucket with a free throw and a three-pointer in transition to bring his team within 65-61 with approximately four minutes remaining, however, the Celtics displayed their ability to initiate a dynamic comeback with the majority of the scoring coming from sources other than number four.

Entering the fourth-quarter trailing 67-63, shooting guard Evan Turner hit a two-pointer, followed up by a layup by center Kelly Olynyk following a bucket by Whiteside. Turner then flushed home a ferocious driving dunk off of a drive to tie it up before finding Olynyk on a cut for an and-one finger-roll to give Boston a seemingly improbable 72-69.

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Small forward Jonas Jerebko then drained a corner three-pointer to provide his team with a six-point advantage with nine minutes remaining, and just like that, the Celtics had emerged from the quarter break on a 12-2 run without Thomas on the floor, signaling key sign of development for the supporting cast heading into the postseason.