The biggest impact Thomas had on the floor Friday was not scoring for once. This could give the Celtics an advantage moving forward.
The Boston Celtics picked up their first win of the postseason on Friday by beating down the Rondo-less Bulls by a score of 104-87. The Celtics had five different players in double figures, as they tallied an impressive 34 assists. Gerald Green made his first start for the Celtics since 2007, and his shooting stretched the floor to the point where Chicago had no answer.
Isaiah Thomas played extremely well in Game 3, but he only scored 16 points. Why was he so effective? His passing got his teammates in a rhythm, and stretched the Bulls out so wide that they couldn’t stop anything. Thomas came up with some big points in the third quarter, but his nine assists were the difference.
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Thomas has attracted an immense amount of defensive attention throughout this season. He has always been a willing passer, but this series and the rest of the playoffs may require him to be a pass first point guard.
If Thomas can continue to find open teammates when doubled, they’ll have nothing but open looks. If players like Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, and Al Horford hit those open looks, Thomas will see the floor open up again for his scoring opportunities.
The only way any team can contain Thomas is to send their longest best defender, and constantly send help on screens. If teams have to lay off of him, goodnight. Thomas will light them up like he has in the past to teams that don’t pay close attention to him.
Since Brad Stevens made the lineup change by inserting Green in the three spot, and moving Crowder to power forward, there will be plenty of kick out opportunities for a slashing Thomas.
The space also makes things easier on Horford, as we saw a number of open dunks because Chicago was more worried about the kick pass to the three point shooter. If things teams have to start worrying about Horford, it gets easier for Thomas to score on top of that.
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Stevens’ adjustment has not only worked, but it can open up opportunities for his best players. All this space on offense needs a playmaker to make defenses suffer, and Thomas can be that player for Boston. Not only can he help the Celtics come all the way back against the Bulls, but he can give them a substantial advantage for the rest of the postseason.